Bad Things Will Always Happen
by AquaDestinysEmbrace
Summary: Anne Marshall, a girl with a dark past. She covers it up with her joyous personality. When something goes wrong, she teams up with a friend to get away from the wretched place she called 'home'...
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall is property of me**

**Tess Carver is property of Celebrityfan (my thanks to her for letting me put Tess in this story!)**

**Description of Anne: Anne is 14 years old. She has long, shaggy brown hair. She has her bangs styled over her right eye. Anne wears a black flannel shirt over a black T-shirt with blue jeans. She wears a bandana that covers her right eye with her bangs. It is currently unknown why she wears the bandanna, but will be revealed later in the story.**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

I slept blissfully until a liquid-like substance hit my face. I jerked awake, screaming, "WHAT THE F**K?!"

I then heard laughter as I sat up, wiping the substance from my eye. When my face was clean, I looked up seeing a woman in her early twenties with caramel brown hair tied in a side-braid wearing a black tank top, a brown sweat jacket, a green vest, and blue jeans laughing at me. It was Tess Carver, the daughter of the founder of the camp.

"What the hell, Tess?!", I snapped. Tess wiped away a tear from her eye. "Sorry, I tried waking you up in a different way, but it didn't work," she said as she tossed away a now empty can of Pepsi, which she had dumped on me.

"What are you doing in my tent?", I asked. "Just waking you up. You weren't around this morning, so we were starting to wonder where you were at," she explained.

I groaned. "Come on! I was having an awesome dream!", I complained.

"You can dream later. Do you wanna head out with us? I'm gonna look for supplies," she said. I shrugged. "Sure. Just give me a minute."

"Come on, let's go," she said as she stepped out of my tent. I sighed and swung my legs over the side of my cot before picking up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I stepped out of my tent and squinted at the bright light.

I've been a resident of this camp for over seven months. I was lucky to come across this camp. If I never did, I'd probably be a walking corpse by now.

I jogged around the camp, saying 'hello' to several residents of the camp, before I found the person I was seeking.

"HEY!", I greeted Tess. "Already? Wow, you're fast," she said. "You ready for today's supply hunt?"

"Yep. Who's coming this time?", I asked.

"Well, there's me, Mom, and Dad," Tess said. I blinked. Carver himself was going on a supply hunt? Now THAT was rare!

"Howdy, folks!", Carver greeted as he faced us. I blinked. Ever since that group of people left the camp several months ago, he's been heading out more frequently, which is strange.

"Now listen. Remember the plan. Don't stray too far, and don't get cornered by lurkers," he said. "Let's move out."

* * *

The four of us moved in silence through the woods. Carver then stopped, signaling us to stop. "Hold on," he said before edging towards a bush. "Well, looks like today's our lucky day," he chuckled. I caught up to him, finding an abandoned campsite in front of us. By the looks of it, it was trashed about a few months ago.

"Alright Tess, remember the plan..." Carver began, but Tess cut him off.

"Yeah yeah. Don't stray too far, don't get cornered by lurkers, blah blah blah... I'll be careful." she said rolling her eyes as she headed towards a tent. I went on my own path, searching around a tree at first. I know it sounds stupid, but you gotta check everywhere...

Something caught my eye and I froze. I knelt down to get a closer look and smiled. Jackpot! It was a can of beans!

"I found something!" I called as I picked it up and waved it above my head. "Nice job, Anne!" Tess praised. I smiled. Tess was the first one to welcome me to the camp when I first showed up. Not to mention the one who showed me around. She's a good friend.

I continued my search, only finding a knife, a clean roll of gauze, and a instant ramen packet. I looked up, seeing the others not too far away. I was about to say something when I heard a snap. I froze when I saw a shadow behind Tess's mother. I had to warn her!

"LOOK OUT!" I scream. She turned around and screamed as a lurker reaches out at her. I hear a grunt of pain, but I can't make out what is going on over there. Tess reacts quickly and shoots the lurker in the head, creating a lot of noise.

"Holy crap!" I breath as I run up to them. Carver and Tess reach her just as I do.

"Mom, are you OK?" Tess asked. My eye wandered down to Tess's mother's arm and I gasped. There were three long gash marks on her arm.

Oh God...

Carver's eyes narrow at the sight as Tess gasps. "I-It's OK, Tessie, it's just a scratch." her mother says.

My ears pick up the sound of snarling. I whirl around, seeing several more lurkers headed our way.

"Uh, guys? We might wanna think about running!"

The four of us turned on our heels abruptly, but Tess's mother fell to the ground as we ran.

"HELP!" she screamed. "MOM!" Tess yelled. Carver sees an exit, and then looks back at Tess's mother, who is being cornered by the lurkers. Oh no... he's not thinking what I think he's thinking is he?!

"Come on," he says as he drags us away from the sight as lurkers begin to chomp into Tess's mother.

"NOOOOO!"

"Carver, what the hell?!" I scream as I struggle with him, but he's just too strong. I watch helplessly as the lurkers eat her alive while she screams in pain. Tess sobs as we run away from the sight with whatever we could grab. I try to block out the pained screams, but I fail. When we are a good distance away from the sight, Tess glares at Carver murderously.

"WHAT THE F**K?!"

"She was scratched. She was a danger to the group." Carver said calmly. I growl. Just because she was scratched doesn't mean we couldn't try to save her!

"NO, YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Tess exclaims tearfully.

"Look, sweetie..." Carver begins as he places a hand on Tess's cheek. I growl again. He leaves ex-wife to die and he has the nerve to do THAT?!

Tess shoves the son of a b**ch away from her. "KEEP YOUR F**KING HANDS OFF ME!" she shrieks as she runs away. I glare coldly at Carver, before I run after her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

It has been two days since THAT incident. When we came back to the camp, Tess was silent the entire way back, except for the occasional sniffle. I haven't seen her since that day. She's been cooped up in her tent.

Whenever Carver tried to talk to her, Tess would yell at him and shove him away. He deserves it, if you ask me.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. How could he... I knew that he and his ex wife never got along, but...

Now I know. Now I know why those people left. It's because Carver was a monster...

An emotionless monster that didn't care what happened to others...

I stepped out of my tent, ignoring the other residents as I passed by with my hands shoved in my pockets.

"Anne?"

I'm yanked out of my thoughts by the voice. I look up, seeing Bonnie, another resident of the camp. She's one of the guards here at the community. I don't know her very well, but she's an OK girl. She's pretty nice.

"Hey Bonnie." I greeted.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." I lie. "Has Tess come out of her tent, yet?"

She shook her head. "No. Not since... well..." she said trailing off.

I scratched the back of my head. I haven't seen anyone mourn over a lost family member in a long time.

"You should talk to her."

I blink in surprise. "Me?!" I asked. "Yeah. You and her seem pretty close, so I'm sure she'll listen to you," said Bonnie. I cross my arms. She's got a point. Tess was the first one to welcome me to the camp. She showed me the ropes here, and always helped me whenever I had a problem. Guess it's time I repay the favor.

"You're probably right..." I say. "I'll go talk to her."

Bonnie smiles in approval and nods.

"See ya later, Bonnie." I said as I ran past her and towards Tess's tent. Where was it again? Oh yeah, that way.

I come to a halt in front of it. "Tess. Tess, it's me! Anne!" I said. I received no answer. This is gonna be tougher than I thought.

"Come on, Tess. You've been in there for two days. People are starting to worry about you."

No answer. I sighed loudy and crossed my arms. "Please. Just come out. We're getting worried..."

Tess remains silent. I sighed in defeat.

"OK. I'll be in my tent if you need me..." I say as I back away from her tent and leave. Just as I walk around a corner, I pass by Carver himself. He raises an eyebrow as he looks at me, as if he wasn't expecting me to be there.

"Hello there." he greets. "Have you seen Tess around here?"

I say nothing, but I glared at him coldly with my eye before I left.

* * *

Night had fallen on the camp. I should be asleep by now, but I just can't. Not after what's happened...

I sat on my cot, strumming away on my guitar. I was lucky to get that thing before the apocalypse. It's one of the only ways I can entertain myself with when I'm bored.

I freeze when I see a shadow pass by my tent. Is it a lurker?

I cautiously reach for my knife before I lift the flap and peeked outside. Someone was walking towards the camp entrance carrying several bags. I narrow my eye to get a closer look and silently gasp. It's Tess!

What the hell is she doing heading towards the camp entrance?!

Without a second thought, I grabbed a few bags with my stuff and supplies in them, as well as my guitar, before I sneaked out of my tent and secretly followed Tess.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

I ran towards the camp entrance with my belongings. I'm leaving this place. FOR GOOD. I'm going to find Luke, Nick, and everyone else. I stopped in my tracks when I heard Anne's voice call out to me.

"Tess?"

I froze. I thought I was caught. Anne was one of Carver's best hunters, so she could take you down in a jiff.

I slowly turned around with a stoic look on my features, seeing that she had a few bags, as well as her guitar with her.

"What're you doing?", she asked raising an eyebrow.

"What does it look like? I'm leaving!" I say with a scoff.

Anne was silent for a moment before she crossed her arms over her chest. "... It's because of Carver, isn't it?"

I stiffened at the name. My eyes started to water, but I blinked away the tears. "Yes... that son of a b**ch killed my mother! He's nothing but a f**king monster! I'm leaving, for good!" I said, glaring straight into Anne's visible eye. "What? Are you gonna stop me?"

Anne shook her head. "No. Why should I? I have NO loyalty to that b*****d anymore. Not after what he's done."

i nodded with satisfaction and turned around to leave.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

As Tess began to leave, I couldn't help but think... should I stay here, continue taking orders from Carver, or leave also...?

No... There is NO WAY I'm staying here after what he's done! I'm not gonna stand by and let a man who let his ex wife die tell me what to do!

"WAIT!" I suddenly called out. Tess turned around in surprise as I ran up to her with my things. "I'm coming with you!"

"WHAT?!" she snapped.

I smirk. "You heard me. I have absolutely no loyalty to Carver, so what's the point in staying here?"

"But-!"

I frowned slightly. "No buts! You've made your decision, so I'm making mine. Besides, if you're leaving, then you're gonna need a friend by your side."

Tess smiles and suddenly hugs me. I tense, not expecting this.

After a tender moment, I chuckle nervously. "O-OK, let's not get all mushy now..."

Tess chuckled and released me. We turned around and noticed that the sun was rising. Crap, not good. Carver's gonna be up any minute now...

"Come on, we need to go..." Tess said. I nodded and we ran through the camp entrance. We had just reached the woods when Tess turned around to face the camp's entrance. I stopped and turned to her, raising an eyebrow. What's she doing...?

She then lifted her arm, held her hand out, and flipped off the camp. I can't help but snicker as she flips practically everyone in the camp off.

"Haha! Nice!" I praised. Tess turns back to me with a smile.

"That felt good." she said. I smile and give her a high-five before we run away into the forest, leaving behind the place we once called our home.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

"BLARGH!"

I woke up to the sound of Tess vomiting. AGAIN.

"Come on, Tess, the berries from last night couldn't have been THAT bad." I say sleepily as I rub my eye. Every morning, ever since we left the camp three days ago, Tess has been puking, even if she didn't ate. Come to think of it... she's been doing that for a couple weeks now...

What's wrong with her? Why is she puking constantly? Is she...?

Tess wipes her mouth and looks up at me.

"S-sorry Anne. Just have an upset stomach, that's all." she said. I look at her doubtfully.

"Are you SURE you're fine?" I asked.

'Yes," she said without hesitation. I blink before I shrug.

"If you say so..."

"Come on. We gotta keep moving." she says as she begins to pick up her bags. She's right. Carver DEFINITELY knows that we're gone now. He's probably sent a search party out for us, or he's probably looking for us himself...

I pick up my bags and my guitar as we begin to walk.

"So... who did you say we were looking for again?" I asked.

"Luke, Nick, and the others." she replied without a beat.

"Aren't those the people who left a while ago?" I asked.

"Yeah..."

"Do you know why?"

She seemed to stiffen for a split second. "It doesn't matter now... what does matter is that we find them..."

I blink in confusion before realization hits me, and I smirk. "Is it cause your boyfriend's with them?"

She blushes immediatly. "Nick is not my boyfriend!" she exclaimed.

I continue to smirk. "Riiigght..." I drawled out. She's lying. Almost half the camp knew that she and Nick had a crush on each other!

"W-whatever... let's just go." she says as she quickens her pace, still blushing.

* * *

We continued trekking through the woods. I sighed. How long have we been walking? Feels like three hours...

I glance at Tess. "Are you sure we should look for them?" I asked.

"Absolutely." she answers.

"But what if something goes wrong if we find them? What if they think that we're trying to bring them back?"

"Then we'll have to show them that we won't."

I pause for a second. That sounds like a plan. I took a look at our surroundings. Nothing much. Trees, bushes, dirt, more trees, a cabin, even more trees- wait, WHAT?!

"Hey Tess, look!" I called pointing towards the cabin. She gasps as we gaze upon it.

"Do you think..." I trail off.

"Definitely." she said as we walked towards it. As we got closer, we could see a few people on the porch. Apparently, one of them noticed us and yelled, "HEY! HOLD IT!"

Tess and I freeze and hold our hands in surrender. The people come closer to us, and Tess gasps. I recognized the guy who yelled. It was...

"Nick?"

"Tess...?"

The two immediately run towards each other and hug. "I missed you...",Tess said. Nick smiles lightly. "Me too..."

"What are you two doing here?"

I peer over their shoulders, seeing a Hispanic man wearing a red flannel shirt glaring at us cautiously. I remember him; he's Carlos, one of the people who left with Nick and Luke.

"Did Carver send you?" he asks bluntly as more people step out of the cabin. An African American wearing glasses, a pregnant lady, an old man, a guy wearing an orange shirt, and a woman with black hair walked up to his side. Tess pulls away from Nick and takes my side.

"WHAT?! Hell no!", she exclaims.

"Why are you here?" the pregnant lady asked as she glared at us. "We left Carver's camp." I replied. "We're not here to take you guys back. Trust me."

The lady glare intensifies, and so does mine. She's REALLY starting to get on my nerves!

"They could be lying!"

I sigh. Oh boy, here we go...

* * *

**Tess's POV**

I glared lightly at the cabin group. They thought Anne and I were working with... HIM.

Carlos crossed his arms as he continued to glare at us.

"How do we know you're not working with Carver?",he asked.

Anne snapped, "We ran away, is that proof enough for ya?!"

I could tell she was starting to lose her patience as well...

Rebecca, the woman I had personal hatred for, spoke up. "They could be lying! Just get them out of here already!"

I growled at her. She was one to talk about lying...

Anne stepped forward and snarled, "Hey, look lady! I am NOT in the mood for this!"

I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her from doing anything stupid. "Anne..." I gently warned. She looked up at me, frowning slightly, but slumped her shoulders in defeat. Carlos then sighed and said something that made ME snap.

"Listen, we all know what kind of person Carver is. Who knows, he could be using his own daughter to-"

I growled. He did not just say that!

"DON'T YOU DARE ASSOCIATE ME WITH THAT F**KER!", I screamed at the Spanish man. I stepped forward, ready to punch Carlos, but Anne grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back.

"Whoa, Tess!" she exclaimed.

Marie, Nick's mother, then stepped in between us, holding her arms out. "Everyone, just CALM down..." she said calmly.

Pete then spoke up. "They must have a good reason for this..."

EXACTLY!

Rebecca scoffed and crossed her arms. "Good reason?! We had a good reason to get the hell out of there! What about you? What's yours?", she asks as she glares at Anne and I. My anger boiled. That's it. They were going to hear what I have to say NOW!

"Alright. You wanna know our reason?! YOU WANNA KNOW OUR F**KING REASON?! Well, y'all remember Coleen, don't you?! Well, she's DEAD!", I seethed before pausing to see the shocked looks on their faces. "That's right! She died! No less than five days ago! You wanna know how?! That piece of sh** that I used to call 'father' let her die! BECAUSE SHE GOT SCRATCHED ON THE ARM! He saw her as a liablilty to the camp and an oppurtunity to get away! He dragged Anne and I away from her when we tried to help her! Now, because of him, my mother's one of... THEM! Everyday, I wish I could hear her voice again, but I can't! BECAUSE SHE'S GONE! If y'all think that I don't know what you've been through, well f**k you! Just STOP pushing me around and stop treating me like I'm gonna slit your throats at any second! You all knew me before you left, and you all know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you! SO GIVE ME A F**KING BREAK!"

Everyone stares at me with surprise as I pant and glare at them. With a growl, I shove my way past them and stormed off to the cabin.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

As Tess slammed the door shut, Nick ran after her. I turned back to the rest of the cabin group and glared at them coldy.

"I hope you're happy." I snarled.

Carlos took a step forward and studied me carefully. "Are you a friend of Tess?"

I nodded. "Why did you leave?" he asked. I crossed my arms and continued to glare at him. "I left cause I realized what Carver really is. Tess is my friend, and there was no freaking way I was gonna let her go by herself."

Carlos stares at me, as if he's deciding whether or not to believe me. He then turns back to the rest of the group. "Bring them in." he sighs. "But keep an eye on them."

I blink in surprise as they lead me into the cabin. "This is a bad idea. I know it is." the pregnant lady mutters. I glare at her with my eye. Does she EVER shut up?

Luke opened the door and I stepped inside. I took a look around the living room. Not bad, seems kinda cozy...

"Dad? Who's she?"

I was yanked out of my thoughts by the voice. I looked up and saw a girl with black hair wearing a light blue jacket and red tinted glasses peering over the railing. "Sarah, this is, uh..."

"Anne." I answered. She smiles and comes down the stairs to face me. "Hi there. Would you like to be friends with me?" she asked. Wow, she JUST met me and she already wants me to be her friend.

"Uh... sure..." I say uncertainly. Sarah smiles and holds her hand out. "Pinky swear?"

I nodded and she smiled. "A pinky swear is forever."

Carlos raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. The guy with the orange shirt stepped up to me. "Uh, sorry about earlier. The others just didn't trust you since you came from Carver's camp." he said.

I crossed my arms. "Well, I guess they had a right to... Tess kept talking about you guys almost the entire time. She mostly talked about Nick and some guy named Luke."

He smiles slightly. "That's me."

I notice something out of the corner of my eye. I looked over my shoulder to see Rebecca glaring at me before she steps into the kitchen to talk with the others. "Don't mind Rebecca." Luke told me. "She's got some trust issues."

He's got a point. Whatever Carver did to them, he got them good. They have a right to be suspicious of us. Luke leads me upstairs and shows me an empty room with a large, comfy bed in it. I grin widely at the sight.

"It's not much, but hopefully it's-"

I cut him off as I set my things down and practically dived onto the bed.

"WHOO!" I exclaimed as I bounced slightly. Ahhh... so soft...

He snickers at my antics. "You rest up, I'm gonna go talk to Tess and the others."

He leaves the room as I lay on my back and stare up at the ceiling, enjoying the soft bed. Eventually, sleep gets the best of me and I drift off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver is belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

It's been a couple months since Tess and I arrived. Actually, I have no clue how long it's been since we've left now.

The rest of the group at the cabin had come to trust us. I've gotten to know them pretty well. Luke is a sweet guy, and pretty funny. Nick is Tess's boyfriend, yes, boyfriend, and he's a bit of a hothead. Marie, Nick's mother, is kind and speaks her mind. Pete is Nick's uncle, who's taken the role of looking after Nick with Marie when he was younger. Carlos is an over-protective father, if you ask me. Sarah's alright, but she seems a bit childish, and from what I've heard, she has an anxiety disorder. Alvin's really friendly. Rebecca... ehh... she can be a pain in the a*s, but once ya get to know her, she's really not that bad.

I walked past Tess and Nick, who were flirting with each other. I rolled my eye. "Get a room, you two." I joked as I headed towards the living room, seeing Luke and Carlos by the couch. The two were playing chess together.

"Hey guys." I greeted.

"Hey Anne." Luke said without looking up. Carlos then moves one of his pieces and takes Luke's knight.

"Aw, come on!" Luke groaned. I smirked before I headed towards the front door and stepped onto the porch. I like to come out here every once in a while so I can just relax in peace. I close my eye and sigh. I lean against the wall and listen to the birds chirping, the wind, the snapping of a twig- wait, what?

I open my eye and see a man staggering towards the cabin. Sh**!

I darted back inside, surprising Luke and Carlos. "Anne, what's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Someone's coming towards the cabin." I said. The two jumped up and darted outside with me just as the man reaches the cabin. Behind us, Nick, Tess, and Pete run out of the cabin.

"Who the f**k are you?!" Nick snapped. The man looked at us with pleading eyes.

"P-please... I need help..." he said. I could see he was clutching his arm. He pulls his hand away, revealing a bite. I jumped back in surprise.

Carlos is hesitant, but he says, "Bring him inside, I'll see what I can do..."

"T-thank you... Thank you..." the man said gratefully as we led him inside. Carlos turns to Rebecca and Alvin, who are surprised to see the man. "Can you two keep an eye on Sarah? I don't want her seeing this." he said. Alvin and Rebecca head up to Rebecca's room as Carlos leads the man into the kitchen. He examines the bite before he turns to me. "Anne, I need you to get antiseptic and bandages for me!" he said. I nodded and dashed towards where we keep the medical supplies.

Come on, where IS it?!

"Anne! Hurry! It's gonna get worse!"

I frown. "I'm going as fast as I can!" I snapped before I turned back to the supplies. Ah! Found ya!

I grabbed the antiseptic and bandages and darted back to the kitchen, slamming the door open in the process. I heard a groan, but I was too focused on getting the medical supplies to Carlos to check.

"Here!" I said as I handed him the supplies. Carlos pours some antiseptic onto the bite. The liquid bubbles on the skin and the man screams in pain.

"AGH!"

I can't help but cringe. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Luke pushing the door away from him rubbing his nose. Oh, so THAT'S where the groan came from...

Carlos cleans out the wound and bandages it up.

"So... What now?" I asked.

"You should rest up." Carlos said. The man nods and stands up. He heads towards the door, but he suddenly collapses. We quickly run to him and pick him up.

"We need to get him into a bed." Carlos said before we carried him into an empty room upstairs. "I'll keep an eye on him unless something happens." Pete said as he held his rifle. We left the room, leaving Pete with the unconscious man.

* * *

Three hours had passed since the mysterious man came here. Things weren't looking so good for him. He was starting to get sick, meaning that he was getting the fever from the bite. I've passed by the room a couple times, hearing him cough and groan constantly. It's getting worse.

I brought him up a packet of crackers and some water, but it didn't seem to help him at all...

All of us are in the living room. We don't really say anything, we just sit there in silence. Carlos then stood up. "I'm gonna go check on him." he said before he heads upstairs. "Be careful." Tess called as he disappears from our sight.

Several minutes pass, and I'm starting to get impatient. I started pacing around the room. What if the man's dead? What if he's turned already...?

The sound of footsteps pulls me out of my thoughts. We all look up to see Carlos walking down the stairs with a grim expression. I'm the first one to speak up.

"Well? How does he look?"

Carlos shakes his head. My eye widens. Oh crap, did he...?

"It may be too late for him." Carlos said. "Maybe if we cut it off, we-"

I shake my head and cut him off. "I heard cutting it off will only work right after you're bitten, not a while after..."

Back at the community, I've heard stories about people getting bitten who waited too long and turned. There's no way cutting off the bite will work on this guy now.

Tess sighed and stood up. "He shouldn't be suffering this... I can't believe I'm saying this, but... Maybe we should just... put him out of his misery..."

How are we gonna break it down to this guy?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow behind Marie. Before I can even react, the shadow figure grabs her from behind.

"AHH!"

All of us jump up in surprise. The figure is revealed to be the man, except he had sagging skin and soulless white eyes. Oh sh**! He's turned! We're too late! He chomps right into Marie's neck before any of us can react.

"AAAHHHHH!" she screamed in pain, trying to stop the blood. "MOM! NO!", Nick exclaimed as he ran forward. Tess quickly stabbed the lurker in the head after prying it away from Marie.

"Oh no..." I said. Tess turns around and gasps at the sight. Nick holds Marie in his arms. Her arms fall lifelessly to the side.

"Mom... Mom, can you hear me? Please don't leave... DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME!" Nick yelled as he shook his mother's body. I held a hand to my mouth in horror as Tess sheds a few tears at the sight. A few minutes later, we heard a low guttural sound. Nick looks up in surprise.

"Mom...?"

I gasped. "NICK, GET AWAY FROM HER!" I yelled. Suddenly, 'Marie' leapt forward. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a soulless white. Oh God... she's turned! She grabbed Nick and tried to sink her teeth into his throat, but Nick shoved her off and backed away. The undead Marie starts to crawl towards him.

"F**K!" Luke exclaimed as he, Tess, and I darted forward to help him, but Nick did something that totally caught us off guard. He grabbed a revolver and shot Marie in the head.

No one says a word as we stare at Nick in shock as he drops the revolver and sinks to his knees. Tess kneels by his side and places a hand on his shoulder. He then stands up. "Don't touch me... Please..." he said softly before leaving the room. Carlos ran upstairs, probably to keep Sarah from seeing... THIS. Pete sank to his knees next to his sister's corpse and said nothing. I take one look at the blood and feel sick to my stomach. My gazed drifted over to the lurker and I growled. I clenched my fist tightly before I slammed it down on the counter.

"DAMN IT!", I screamed. Marie was one of Nick's only family members, and now she's gone...

I must have surprised the others, cause they were all looking at me with shocked faces. After I calmed down a little, I looked up at them.

"We... we should bury her."

* * *

Luke steps into the freshly dug hole and helps lower Marie's body into it with Pete. I just stand on the side with the others, watching with my hands shoved into my pockets. Luke and Pete begin to refill the hole with dirt.

Damn it, we should have kept a closer eye on him! If we did, she would still be alive...

I closed my eye tightly before opening it back up. I could see Nick and Tess holding hands as they stand nearby watching the scene. I saw the saddened expression Nick had.

Poor Nick...

"Marie was... well, she was my sister." Pete said with a pained expression. I can tell he's having a hard time saying this. "I'll always remember that."

"Marie was one of the kindest people I've met. I'll never be able to repay that..." said Tess.

Nick was silent for a few minutes before he spoke up. "Mom was the best... I'll miss her smile..."

He cuts himself off as Tess wraps an arm around him and pulls him into a hug. All of us give him a look of sympathy. Tess then steps forward and places something into the dirt. It's a wooden cross, with the name 'MARIE' carved into it. "Rest in peace..." she whispered.

One by one, we all leave, but the only one who doesn't is Nick. I turned around to talk to him, but Tess placed a hand on my shoulder. "Anne, let him be... he just needs time..."

I don't argue, and head back inside the cabin.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. What a day...


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Tess's POV**

Four weeks have passed since Marie died. They've been hell for Nick. He's had a couple nightmares about that day...

Luke, Pete, and I have been doing the best we can to help him. He tends to lash out at Pete every once in a while, but he's doing OK so far...

I looked out the window to see Nick standing by Marie's grave. I can't help but give him a look of sympathy... he lost one of the most important figures in his life in just one day... I remember how I felt when my mom died... I know what he's going through...

* * *

**Anne's POV**

I looked up from my guitar, seeing something through the window. I got up to get a closer look. I smiled in relief, seeing that it was just Luke and Pete returning from their trip into the woods. But what's that Luke's carrying in his arms?

I squinted to get a closer look before my eye widened. It's a girl!

I darted out of my room and ran into the living room, finding the others sitting there. Tess rose an eyebrow.

"Whoa, Anne, what's wrong?" she asked standing up. Before I can even answer, Luke barges through the front door.

"You're gonna wanna see this." he said breathlessly.

Tess and I exchanged a look before everyone except for Luke, Carlos, and Sarah darted outside. I screech to a halt at the sight. A girl was lying on the ground. The same girl that I saw Luke carrying. She looked to be about 10 or 11, wearing a purple T-shirt over a white striped shirt and jeans. On her head is a hat with the letter D on it.

"Why'd you leave her on the ground?!" are the first words that come out of my mouth when I reach them, just as Nick does. I look down and see a blood stain on her sleeve. Oh no... is she bit?!

"What the hell are you doing bringing more people here?! Especially if they're bit?!" Rebecca snapped.

"We found her in the woods with lurkers everywhere. She swears that a dog bit her." Pete explained. Nick frowned and held his rifle tightly. "What the hell were you thinking out there?! Are you trying to get more of us killed?!" he snapped at Pete.

Pete turned to Nick. "She was in trouble, and you know I have a pretty good bullsh** detector. She looked me straight in the eye and said she wasn't bitten by a lurker. We'll be able to find out if she's lying when we take a look at it, and then everything will be OK."

Nick growled. "Don't you tell me that! Not after what f**king happened!"

Rebecca crossed her arms. "Would someone mind telling me what the f**k is going on here?!"

"Now hold on, Rebecca!" Pete said.

"We got this, don't worry." Nick said before turning back to Pete. The pregnant woman scoffed. "Like hell you do. Did anyone even think to ask where she came from?! She might be working with Carver!"

Does she SERIOUSLY think that this little girl is working for that monster? I've never seen her around the camp before...

"Come on, Rebecca. There's absolutely NO WAY this girl could be working for that guy!" I said. She sends me a glare. "And how do you know that?!" she asked me.

"She already told us that she and her friend were attacked and then she was bitten by a dog." Pete said.

"What? You just believed her? You should have put her out of her misery right there!" Rebecca snapped.

I growled. Did she seriously just say that?! Is she really arguing over killing a kid?!

A new voice surprises all of us.

"I need a do-"

Before she can even finish her sentence, Nick accidentally pulls the trigger and nearly shoots the girl.

"What the hell, Nick?!" Tess snapped. My thoughts exactly! He just almost shot a freakin' kid!

Pete snatched the rifle away from Nick. "Finger off the trigger, boy!" he scolded. Just then, Luke darted out of the cabin. "Whoa, whoa! What the f**k?!" he exclaimed as he ran down the steps.

"You idiot! Every lurker within five miles coulda heard that!" Rebecca growled.

"Hey, YOU were the one telling me to shoot her!" Nick shot back.

"Everyone calm down for a second." Alvin said.

"Clementine, are you OK?" Luke asked the girl as he reached us.

The girl, Clementine, gets to her feet, clutching her arm. "I just need a doctor... and then I'll go. I don't want my arm to get infected." she said. Nick frowns. "None of us wanna get infected. That's the point." he said. Tess and I frown at him. Tess then elbows him in the ribs.

"Nick, seriously, just back off! Give her a break!" I snapped, crossing my arms. "What the hell is wrong you people? She's just scared!" Luke said. "We're ALL scared Luke. Don't act like we're the one's being irrational cause we don't buy this bullsh** story." Rebecca said.

"There's no way she's survived out here on her own!" Nick butts in. "Why are we even arguing about this?!"

I watched as Tess stepped up to Clementine and knelt down to her level before gently reaching for her arm.

"Hi there, sweetie." Tess said gently. "I'm Tess. Can I see your arm? It's OK, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Clementine cautiously rolls up her sleeve, showing us the wound. It has one long gash and at least five puncture marks. I can't help but cringe.

"That must've hurt..." I commented, ignoring the looks Rebecca and Nick shot me.

"Be careful, Tess-", Nick warned.

Tess glared over her shoulder. "I'm FINE, Nick." she insisted before looking back at the bite. "Hm, whatever it was, it got ya pretty good..."

Nick frowned and stomped towards Luke and Pete. "This isn't how we do things, man. When you're bit, you get put down. End of story. I'm not gonna go through this again!"

I frowned at him. I know he's still upset over Marie, but isn't this taking things a little too far?!

"Nick!" Tess snapped. "Knock it off!"

"We could take her arm off." Pete suddenly suggested. Clementine gasped as we all look at him, slightly surprised by his suggestion. Great, now we've scared her!

"I know that worked for a cousin down in Ainsworth. We could try that," he said. "Pete, don't say that!" Tess scolded.

"Yeah, you're kind of scaring the kid..." I chided.

"It won't do any good. You'll just be making it worse for the girl." said Rebecca. "It's crazy. No one's gonna volunteer to do that." said Alvin. "I would, if it means saving her life." Pete said. "Then what? How would we know it worked?" Nick asked.

Clementine then looked around at us before her eyes fell on Tess. "I just want to fix my arm." she said. Tess gave her a look of sympathy. "I know, sweetie, but we have to make sure..."

"I swear, it was just a dog bite!" Clementine said before she looked up at Luke. "Hey, I'm on your side, kid." he said holding his hands up. By the tone of his voice, I can tell that he actually wants to help her and- hold on, why is she staring at me?

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked me. My gaze softened and I gave her a look of sympathy. "Of course I do..." I said. By the look in her eyes, she MUST be telling the truth.

Tess then stood up and faced us. "It's definitely not a lurker bite." she said. Carlos then stepped up. Whoa, when did he get here?

"Let me see that."

"It's not a f**king lurker bite!" Tess insisted. Carlos knelt down and examined the bite. I hear the front door creak open.

"Who's she?" I heard Sarah ask. Carlos frowned. "Sarah, what did I say? Stay inside." he said. I heard the door close, knowing that Sarah went back inside.

"So... What do you think?" Alvin asked as Carlos faced us.

"A bite like that... it could be anything... only one way to find out." Carlos said crossing his arms.

Tess frowned. "What are you saying?!"

"We wait."

"WHAT?!" Tess and I yelled simultaneously. "Are you f**king crazy?! That's a dog bite, I KNOW it is!" Tess snapped.

"By tomorrow morning, if the fever's set in, we'll know if she's gonna turn. In the meantime, we can lock her in the shed," Carlos said.

Is he REALLY suggesting that we do this?!

"NO WAY!" Tess growled, voicing my thoughts. "We have to make sure." Nick told her. Tess shot the rest of the group a look. "What about my arm? It needs to get cleaned, a-and stitched, and bandaged..." Clementine said as she walked up to us. She's right, if we don't do anything, it's gonna get worse... we have to do something about it!

"Seriously, Carlos! Look at her! The girl is in bad shape!" I said stepping up to him. Carlos crossed his arms. "I'm not wasting supplies on a lurker bite." he said firmly.

"It's not a lurker bite!" Tess growled as she stomped up to him. Carlos turned to Clementine. "If it turns out you're tellling the truth, I'll clean it and stitch it up for you in the morning." Carlos said.

My anger boiled. Is he serious?! It could be too late for her then!

"THE MORNING?! Are you nuts?! It'll get worse if we don't treat it now!" I snapped at him. "Anne," he said firmly. "There aren't any other options."

Tess and I glared harshly at Carlos's back as he headed inside the cabin. Grr, sometimes I just wanna-!

Luke turned to Clementine with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. It's the best we're gonna get."

Pete handed Nick back the rifle. "Finger off the trigger, son." he warned. Nick scowled and snatched the rifle. "I ain't your son!" he growled.

"Don't be like that, Nick, please..." Tess pleaded. "It's alright. Boy's got his mom's temper." Pete said.

Nick turned to Clem with the scowl still plastered on his face. "Come on." he growled. Clementine took a few steps forward before she looked over her shoulder and back at us. I noticed that her gaze fell on me. I closed my eye sadly, knowing that I wouldn't be able to help her.

"This is just a waste of time. You'll see." Rebecca said crossing her arms. "And when she turns, I'm not gonna be the one cleaning up the shed."

We watched as Nick, Luke, and Tess led Clementine to the shed. When they closed the doors, I glared at Rebecca. "What the hell's your problem?! You couldn't at least give her a chance?!"

"Hey, there's no way I'm risking that! Remember the last time we let someone with a bite stay, we lost someone! We're not allowing that to happen again!"

I glared at her coldly before I stomped into the cabin.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

I grabbed Nick by his arm as we walked away from the shed. "Hey. You and me need to talk." I said sternly as I dragged him over to the side of the cabin.

"What?" he snapped.

"You know what! You almost shot that kid's face off!" I said. Nick holds his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I thought she was turning! She just surprised me!"

"Well, you better apologize to her when we fix her arm." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"You mean IF we fix her arm. There's no way that was a dog bite." Nick said stubbornly as he walked away, leaving me standing there. I sighed in irritation. Nick's still affected by Marie's death... Pete's told me that he always lashes out when he's upset...

That woman was the only parent he really had. And now she's gone...

"Tess?"

I'm yanked out of my thoughts by the sound of Luke's voice. "You coming in?" he asked. I nodded and caught up to him as we stepped inside. I see Anne standing near the stairs with her arms crossed. She must have noticed us, because she came walking up to Luke and I.

"Do you believe that she's telling the truth?" she asked. Why is she asking me that?! Of course I do! I checked the f**king bite, and I could tell it wasn't a lurker!

"Of course!" I said. Luke nodded in agreement and crossed his arms. "Still, we have to make sure." he said. "I don't wanna do this either, but it's seems to be the only way..."

Anne gave him a look before she sighed. "I'll be in my room if ya need me." she muttered as she went towards her room.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

At least two hours have past since we've locked that girl in the shed. I feel guilty. Damn it, I wish there was something I could do for her! I don't know if she was telling the truth, but...

I sighed and took a sip of Pepsi. I then heard knocking at my window.

"Hm?" I asked nonchalantly. I turned to the window and noticed someone waving at me... IS THAT THE GIRL FROM EARLIER?! How the hell did she get out of the shed?!

My eye widened and I did a spit-take before I looked over my shoulder, making sure no one else was coming before I ran to the window and opened it.

"What the hell are you doing out here, kid?!" I asked.

"I-I need your help." she said.

Why did she come to ME for help?!

"What? Me? I'm sorry, but I can't do anything." I said remorsefully.

"Please, I NEED to fix my arm." she pleaded.

"Are you nuts?! Even if you weren't bitten by a lurker, you can't be here! Look, you gotta get outta here. Get back in the shed and Carlos will take care of ya in the morning." I told her.

"I saw when everyone was arguing earlier. You wanted to help me." Clementine said.

I sighed. "Yeah, I wanted to help you, and so did Tess and Alvin, but even if I tried, I couldn't do anything! Not with the others arguing over it."

Suddenly, there was a knock at my door.

"Anne?" I heard Tess's muffled voice call. "Sh**, get down!" I whispered to Clementine. She ducked before I opened my door.

"Yeah?"

"Carlos wants us all in the kitchen for a house meeting." she said.

"I'll be down there in a few." I told her. She nodded and left. I breathed a sigh of relief as I closed the door. Phew, that was close!

I walked back over to the window as Clementine stood up. "I'm serious, you have got to get outta here before the others find out." I told her.

"Please help me... please..." she begged me with pleading eyes. I looked into her eyes as my face softened. Please don't tell me that she's gonna cry...

"You're seriously not working for Carver?" I asked.

"No."

"And you didn't get bit by a dead person?"

"No." she insisted. "I won't forget that you've helped me."

I can't help but smile lightly. "I'm sure you won't, kid." I said before my smile fell. "I'm screwed if anyone finds out about this, you know..."

"The cut on my arm needs to be cleaned and stitched," she said, showing me her bloodied arm.

"We're running low on bandages, but I might find something that can help clean it. Wait here." I told her as I stepped out of my room. I look around to make sure no one was around before I stepped into the bathroom. I grabbed a couple cotton balls and a few bandages and went back into my room.

"Here, I managed to find a couple of these." I said as I handed them to her.

"Thank you."

I smiled. "Don't mention it. And are you SERIOUSLY gonna stitch that up yourself?" I asked, referring to the wound.

"Do YOU know about this kind of stuff?" she asked me. Hm, she's got a point...

"Good point. Now you need to get out of here," I said before closing the window. I left my room and entered the kitchen, finding everyone else there.

"... for all we know, she could be connected to Carver." Rebecca finished just as I stepped in.

"Come on, there's no way!" Luke argued.

"You don't know!" said Nick.

"She was with somebody! Whoever it was, it couldn't have been Carver." said Luke.

"He's right." I said, stepping into the conversation. "Do you really think that this girl is working for that monster?"

"Still..." Rebecca muttered.

"She said she was with a friend." said Pete.

"Whoever she's with, they'll probably come looking for her." said Carlos.

"Great. They show up and we got her locked in the shed..." Alvin trailed off.

"You think we should bring her in here?!" asked Rebecca.

"No, I'm just saying that it wouldn't look too good."

"We should bring her in here." said Tess. Rebecca glared at her. "WHAT?!"

"She's a little girl! If we leave her out there for the rest of the night, the wound will get worse!" Tess said firmly.

"And besides, Alvin's got a point. If whoever she was with came here and found out that we locked her in the shed, they'd probably kick our a*ses." I said crossing my arms.

"It's just a precautionary measure. Anyone else would do the same." said Carlos.

"You really think Carver would come after us?" asked Luke. "You think he wouldn't?!" Nick snapped.

"Carver doesn't let things go too easily," Tess grumbles.

"Let him come. I really don't give a damn." Alvin muttered. "Alvin..." Rebecca scolded.

Just then, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head towards the door, but saw nothing. Huh, I could've SWORN it just moved.

"...hey, you brought her back here, not me!" said Nick.

"Well, what're we supposed to do?! Just leave her there?" Luke shot back.

"Better her than us!"

"You woulda done the same thing." said Pete.

"It wasn't the brightest idea."

"And firing your rifle was? Next time, why don't we all just put up a big neon sign that says 'Lurkers Welcome'?" Tess asked sarcastically.

"Guys, guys, what about the kid?" I asked, gaining their attention.

"I think that she's telling the truth." said Luke. Pete sighed. "Look, there's no point in arguing about it now. She's in the shed, she's not gonna hurt anyone. We'll just see what's what tomorrow."

"But Carlos said she could die if she doesn't get her arm treated!" said Tess.

"Assuming that she doesn't turn." Rebecca added.

"Look, don't we have an antiseptic or something that could stop the infection from spreading?" I asked. "Yes, but not enough to spare." said Carlos. "We're not wasting any of that on her. What if one of us needs it?" asked Nick. I glared at him.

"Look, I'm just saying that we could help her." I said. "We can't let her die if we know there's something we could do about it!"

Nick opens his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a scream coming from the shed. CLEMENTINE!

"What the f**k was that?!" Alvin asked.

"COME ON!" Tess yelled as she barged through the kitchen door. "Tess, wait up!" Nick called as we ran after her and burst through the front door. Luke and Tess ran ahead of us and yanked open the doors, revealing Clementine yanking a hammer out of a lurker's head. What's a lurker doing around here?!

"Holy sh**!" Luke exclaimed. I caught up to them with Nick, Pete, and Alvin. "How the hell did a lurker get in here?!" I asked.

"Little girl is tough as nails." Pete remarked. Clementine turned around and glared at us.

"I am still. NOT. Bitten. I never was! And you left me out here to die!" she growled at us. My gaze wandered down to her arm, seeing that her arm had stitches in it. Ouch...

"You patched yourself up?!" Luke asked incredulously.

"Where'd you get that stuff?!" Nick demanded. I saw Tess place a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Nick..." she warned.

"Did she STEAL from us?!" asked Rebecca. "This doesn't change a thing. She hasn't done anything to us." said Pete. "Says the man not carrying a baby!" Rebecca retorted.

"It seems that she had no other choice," Tess said. Clementine nodded. "I took the stuff, and I'm sorry...", she said looking down.

Carlos sighed. "Bring her in. I'll take a look at her arm." he said.

About freaking time!

"Do you, uh... want anything to eat?" Luke asked sheepishly as the others went back inside. She said nothing, but nodded. Luke, Clementine, and I headed back up to the house.

"Hey, kid." I said, gaining her attention. "Sorry about getting off to a rough start."

"It's OK." she said.

"I'm Anne." I said, holding my hand out. She shook it with her good arm.

"Clementine."

I smirk. "Nice to meet ya, Clementine." I said with a grin.

* * *

Clementine sat at the table as Carlos patched up her arm. I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed.

"How does she look?"

"Her suturing skills need some work, but otherwise, I'd say she should be fine." said Carlos.

"So it wasn't a lurker bite?" asked Luke. I rolled my eye. Duh!

"If it was, the fever would have set in by now and her temperature would be through the roof."

"I TOLD you!" Tess said. Carlos rolled his eyes. "Not now, Tess." he muttered. Nick then stormed away. Tess quickly ran after him, and Luke went to get food for Clementine, leaving just me, Clementine, and Carlos there. I stepped up to her.

"How's that feeling?" I asked, referring to her now bandaged arm. "Still hurts..." she muttered. "Get some rest. You need it." I said and left the room. I could faintly hear Carlos talking about Sarah. I managed to make out him saying that she would ''cease to function' if she knew what it was really like out there.

I then noticed Tess and Nick heading into the kitchen. What're they doing? I pressed my ear against the door to listen.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

Nick and I entered the kitchen, seeing Luke sitting across from Clementine, who was eating. I held his hand and gave him a encouraging smile before he stepped up to Clementine. She glared at him slightly. She was still mad about the fact that Nick nearly blew her face off earlier.

"Hey, um... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about earlier. I got kinda aggro, and that definitely wasn't cool..." Nick said scratching the back of his head. I smiled proudly. He was doing good...

"Nick's been known to go off every once in a while..." Luke explained. I stepped up to Nick's side and said, "Please don't hold it against him. I've already kicked his a** for nearly shooting you."

Nick's gaze shifted down to the floor, avoiding my gaze. "I guess we all have our moments."

"You definitely had one out there," said Luke.

"It's OK. I get it." Clem said to Nick. I smiled at her gratefully.

I then remembered Marie...

I placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at Clementine. "Nick... he lost his mom. We took care of someone who got bit."

"It was my fault. I-" Nick muttered before I interrupted him. "It was NO ONE'S fault." I insisted, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "We tried to control it... but then he turned, and his mom was standing right there and she got attacked..."

Nick closed his eyes at the memory of Marie... and that day...

"Anyway, I hope you understand." Nick said, standing up.

"I do... yeah..." Clem said. Nick smiled, satisfied as he left the kitchen. I smiled with a proud look on my face. That's my Nick!

Clementine noticed my look and asked "What do you think of him?"

I rose an eyebrow, caught off guard by the question. "Me? Well, I think Nick is a good man... kind... goofy... easily embarrassed..."

Clementine smirked at me. "Are you two a couple?"

I blinked in surprise. THE HELL?!

"What?! N-No! We're just... taking it slow...",I said. Then I realized my mistake. I looked down at Clementine, who was still smirking at me, and sighed in defeat. "Yeah, we're a couple..."

Just then, the door opened and Anne came in with a big smirk on her face. "Ha! You admitted it!" she exclaimed with a wide grin. "I knew it! You two are in loooove~!"

I growled at her and glared out of the corner of my eye.

"Anne." I began, dangerously calm. "I'll give you a three second head start..."

She smiled nervously before she made a break for it out of the kitchen and up the stairs. After three seconds, I ran after her, hearing Clementine's amused giggles and Luke's chuckling in the background.


	6. Chapter 6

** I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Tess's POV**

I smiled as Anne raced past me to get to Clem's room with a mischievous grin on her face. It was always dangerous whenever Anne was awake before anyone...

She burst into Clem's room, slamming the door against the wall just as I reached her side.

"GOOD MOORRNNIINNGGG, CLEMENTIIINNNEEE!" she screamed as she dived and landed on Clementine's bed, bouncing a little to shake her. I had to let a small giggle. This was TOO funny!

Clementine's bright hazel eyes shot open, and she cringed a little in pain. "OW!" she shouted.

I smirked as I leaned against the doorway. "Good morning, sleepyhead." I said. "You ready to head out with Nick and Pete?"

Clementine glanced at the hyper girl, who was still laying on her bed, and smirked evilly.

"Hold on..." she said before shoving Anne off the bed so that she landed on the floor with a thud.

"OW!" Anne shouted, glaring at Clem, who smiled in satisfaction.

"OK. NOW I'm ready."

I could only chuckle at the girl's antics.

* * *

"Be careful." I warned Nick as he grabbed his rifle.

"I will." he told me. I smiled and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush.

"We'll be back soon." Pete said as he, Nick, and Clem headed towards the front door. Nick gave a wave before they stepped out the door. I ran up to the window and watched as they disappeared into the forest.

"You think it's a good idea that Clementine heads out there too?" Anne asked as she came up to me. I nodded. "She's got Nick and Pete with her, so she'll be fine." I told her as I gave her a reassuring smile. She looked back at the window. "If you say so..." she muttered. "Did you hear Rebecca going off at her last night?"

I nodded, remembering hearing the pregnant woman snap at her while I was chasing Anne last night...

"Can't she ever give anyone a break?" I asked, blowing a strand of my hair away in frustration.

Anne smirked. "Probably not."

We both exchange a look before we begin laughing.

"What's this about me?"

The two of us immediately stop laughing and freeze. Aw crap...

We slowly turned around, seeing Rebecca standing not too far away from us with her arms crossed over her chest. "Welll?", she asked.

"Um, nothing!" I said quickly. "Nothing at all!"

Rebecca shot us a look. "Yeah, that's what I thought." she grumbled before walking away.

I breath a sigh of relief. That was close. The wrong choice of words could have REALLY p**sed her off.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

It's been a while since Nick, Pete, and Clementine left. They should be back by now, what's taking them so long? They shouldn't be out there when it's dark...

Tess started pacing the room nervously. "Come on, where is he?!" she asked.

"Tess, calm down-" Carlos said calmly. Tess whirled around to glare at him. "How the f**k do you expect me to calm down?! Nick, Pete, and Clem have been gone for over seven hours! Something's happened to them! We gotta go look for them!"

"Tess, I'm sure that they'll get back here soon." Luke said placing a hand on her shoulder. "But what if they don't?! What if they don't come back?!", Tess asked.

"Tess, if they don't show up by tomorrow morning, we'll go look for them." Carlos said. "For now, you should get some rest."

"How do you expect us to rest when Nick, Pete, and Clementine are out there somewhere, possibly in danger?!" I snapped. "Anne, I'll keep an eye out for them. If they don't show up by morning, we'll look for them." Carlos said.

I growl and crossed my arms.

"Now get some rest." he ordered.

Grumbling under my breath, I trudged up to my room.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

It's early in the morning now, and they STILL haven't shown up! That's it, I'm heading out!

I stormed down the stairs, finding everyone in the living room. Anne is on the couch, fast asleep.

"Tess!" Luke exclaimed standing up.

"Luke, get the guns, we're heading out!" I said boldly.

"What?! No, I'll go." Luke said. "Luke, I am NOT going to sit here and do nothing while my boyfriend, Clem, and Pete could be eaten alive, or worse...!", I snapped.

"I'll do it, Tess! And besides... I owe you..." he muttered. I blinked in surprise. Is he talking about... that night...?

"I'm going." Alvin said as he stepped up. Rebecca's eyes widened. "Al, no!" she pleaded.

"Bec, we can't just wait here! We have to do something about it." Alvin said. Luke then came back with two rifles. One for him, and one for Al.

"Be careful." Carlos warned.

"You got it." Luke said. He looked back at me one more time before he and Alvin left the house.

* * *

Three hours have passed, and they STILL haven't shown up yet!

Carlos, Rebecca, Anne, and I all sat at the kitchen table, waiting anxiously. Anne has her head held in her hands, and she is tapping her foot impatiently. I can tell she is worried for them as much as I am...

Suddenly, the back door opened up and Clementine stepped in. Anne stood up so fast that she nearly fell out of the chair.

"Clementine!" she exclaimed.

"Clementine, are you alright?" asked Carlos. "Luke's not with you?"

"Where's Alvin?!" Rebecca asked desperately.

"It's been hours! What happened? Where are they?" Carlos asked.

"We were attacked." said Clementine.

"By who?" asked Anne.

"Walkers... Pete got bit..."

What?! Oh God, no! Not Pete!

"What?! Where were you?! Where were you exactly?!" Rebecca demanded. I frowned. "Rebecca, give her some time to breathe!" I scolded.

"Down by the stream." Clementine answered.

"We gotta go!" said Rebecca.

"Just a minute-" Carlos began.

"My husband is still out there! GET THE GUNS!"

Carlos dashed out of the kitchen as I turned to Clem.

"Where's Nick?" I asked. "We were in a shed. He had me get out of there while he distracted the walkers..." Clementine trailed off. No... He can't be...!

"Luke and Alvin went out looking for you. I told them not to go, but they insisted..." Rebecca said as she turned away from Clem. Carlos then came running with three rifles. I took one and we were about to step out the door, but Carlos turned back to Clem.

"Clementine, Anne, can you please watch Sarah?" Carlos requested.

"You got it." Anne nodded.

"I'll take care of her. You can trust me." Clem said.

"Thank you." Carlos said gratefully. "Just stay inside and don't open the door for anything. We'll be back soon, and... thank you..."

"Be careful!" I heard Anne call. I looked over my shoulder. "I always am." I replied before Carlos, Rebecca, and I ran out of the house.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

I sighed when the door slammed shut.

"Where's Sarah?" asked Clem. "She's in her room." I answered. I followed her up the stairs and she opened the door, just in time to hear Sarah say, "Say cheese!"

There was a flash and Clementine blinked, taking a step back. I looked through the doorway and saw Sarah holding a camera.

"I found this under the house! There was all kinds of old stuff!" Sarah said with a grin as she handed Clementine the photo she took of her. "Take one of me!"

"Uh...", Clementine said uncertainly as she turned to me. I smiled.

"Go ahead, Clem." I said. Sarah smiled and handed her the camera. "Get me in a good pose, OK?" she asked as she smiled. "OK, I'm ready!"

Clem snapped the picture and we took a look at it. It showed Sarah smiling widely.

"Do you want yours taken?" Sarah asked me. I shook my head. "Nah, I'm good." I replied.

"Where's my dad?" she asked raising an eyebrow. Clem and I froze. What should we say?

"Guys? You're scaring me..." Sarah said. We exchanged looks before we turned back to Sarah. "He'll be fine." Clem said. "Are you sure?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, Carlos is tough, he'll be back soon." I said. Sarah turned around and started sniffling.

"S-sorry, I just need to..." Sarah trailed off as she crouched down and pulled her knees up to her chest. Great, now we've got her depressed!

Clementine knelt down and gave her a smile. That seemed to cheer Sarah up, because she smiled right back.

"Wanna see what I found?" she asked us before reaching under her bed and pulling out a gun. "Can you teach me how to use it?"

My eye widened. "Sarah... where did you get that?" I asked slowly.

"From under the house." she said simply. Clementine looked up at me. I sighed. Carlos is SO gonna kill me for this...

"OK, but remember, it's not a toy." Clem warned. Sarah nodded. "I know."

"First, remember, it's just a thing."

Sarah held the gun close to her face. "What does that mean?"

"I, uh... don't know." Clementine admitted. I stood to the side and watched as Clementine had Sarah straighten her arms.

"The most important thing is when you shoot, you always aim for the head." she advised.

"Got it, but what if it's a person?"

"Then you just keep shooting." Clementine answered.

"What should I shoot?" Sarah asked as she aimed the Glock 17 in front of her, then turned around and accidentally aimed it at Clem's head.

HOLY CRAP!

"Don't do that!" Clementine cried ducking down. Sarah's eyes widened and she lowered the gun. "S-sorry! Sorry..." she apologized nervously. "Maybe I could practice outside?" she wondered aloud as she wandered over to her window. I breathed a sigh of relief as Clem and I stepped up to her. Glad that thing was empty...

"Hey, Luke's back!" Sarah said happily as she peered through the window. I rose an eyebrow as I saw a shadow figure approach the cabin. Sarah went downstairs and Clem and I quickly followed her. When we reached the last step, we noticed Sarah hiding in the living room as someone knocked on the front door. "That's not Luke..."

Well, obviously, it's not.

"Clem, I think I know him..." Sarah whimpered. "He can't see me. You have to make him go away, please!"

"Go find somewhere to hide!" Clem ordered. What?! She's gonna go answer the door?! Is she crazy?!

"What?! No! I'll do it!" I insisted.

"Hello?" we heard the man call as he knocked on the door louder this time.

"Just HIDE!" she whispered. Sarah started hyperventilating. "Clem, I can't breathe! I-I can't breathe...!" Sarah gasped. "Shh!" Clem warned as she edged towards the front door. I grabbed Sarah and we ducked around the corner. Clementine was just about to lock the door when the man opened it.

"Hello there." he greeted.

I froze. That voice... I-it can't be...!

"Hello..." Clementine said uncertainly.

"How are ya?"

"OK, how about you?"

"Just fine, thank you. My family and I are set up a ways down the river. I'm kinda surprised we've haven't run into each other yet. What's your name?"

I clenched my fist tightly. It's him... Carver! He's found us! DAMN IT!

"I'm... Carley..." I heard Clem lie. Carley? Was she someone she knew?

"Carley? That's a sweet name." Carver remarked. "You mind if I come in, Carley? I've been out all day and this heat has me cooked." he said as he stepped in before Clem could protest.

I ushered Sarah behind the couch and we both crouched down.

"Would you please leave?" Clementine asked politely.

Carver ignored her and started to walk around the cabin. Please don't come this way, please don't come this way...

"This is a nice place." Carver commented. "Kinda cozy. Is there anybody else around?"

"Just me and... dad." Clementine said, hesitating on the last part.

"Where is he?"

"Out."

"What's your dad's name?"

"Ed."

"Well, he sounds like a strong guy." said Carver.

"Yeah... he is."

"Well, I'll cut to the chase; I'm out looking for my people, nine of them to be exact. They've been gone a long time, and... I'm worried they might've gotten lost. Maybe you've seen them?" Carver asked.

I clench my fist even more tightly. I'm doing everything I can to keep myself from attacking the son at a b**ch right there. If Tess was here, she'd be thinking the same thing...

"Couple of farm boys and an old man... Spanish guy and his daughter. Quiet girl, a bit taller than you. A big, black guy, about this size... a pretty little pregnant lady, and most recently, a girl with caramel brown hair... pretty smart... and a girl wearing a bandanna over her eye... Funny one, usually wears this black flannel shirt..."

"That's a lot of people to lose." Clem remarked. Carver then stepped into the kitchen, and I saw our chance.

"Come on!" I whispered as I led Sarah back up to her room. I closed the door and frantically looked around for a hiding spot when I saw the bed. "Quick, under the bed!" I ordered. She slid under the bed and I followed. "Whatever you do, DO NOT MAKE A SOUND." I hissed. She nodded, and we were still. I heard footsteps, followed by a door opening.

"Huh, I knew someone who had a guitar." I heard him say. My eye widened. He's in my room!

"Dad found that when we first came here. I've been trying to play it..." said Clem.

"Looks just like the one that girl had..."

"That's weird..." Clem said.

"Yeah... it is..."

The footsteps grew louder until they reached the door. Carver opened it and stepped in.

"I told you, nobody is here!" Clementine insisted.

"Seems that way..." Carver muttered. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude. Just couldn't leave you here with a good conscience if someone was pokin' around, right?"

What the hell is HE doing here?!

"Sure..." Clementine replied. He stepped forward, but he noticed something on the floor. He knelt down as Sarah and I scooted away from him and picked something up. SHIT, THE PHOTO! NOW HE KNOWS WE'RE HERE!

"Who is this?" Carver asked, showing the photo of Sarah to Clementine.

"Must be someone who lived here." she said plainly.

They were silent for a moment, then Carver started to speak.

"You have no idea who these people are, do you?" he asked suspiciously.

My breath hitched. He's figured us out!

"I don't know what you're talking about." Clementine replied without missing a beat.

"When you met 'em, how much did they trust you?" Carver asked.

"What's your point?"

He then said something that he used to tell us all the time back at the camp.

"If people don't trust you, how can you trust them?"

I silently growled. "Well, I think I've troubled you long enough." Carver said as he stepped out and started to head towards the front door. "I can let myself out."

"Wait! Who are you?" Clementine called.

"You have a real good day now." I heard Carver say as he left. I climbed out from under the bed, followed by Sarah, and we all watched Carver disappear into the woods. All the while, I was seething.

"W-what if he comes back?" Sarah asked.

I let a growl escape my lips.

"Tess is NOT gonna be happy when she hears this..."

* * *

I paced around the living room while Sarah and Clementine sat together on the couch.

Clem broke the silence. "We have to find the others." she said standing up. I nodded in agreement.

"But we can't leave the house!" Sarah reminded us as we stepped into the living room, just in time to see Luke and the others step in.

"Clementine!" Luke exclaimed as Sarah ran up to Carlos and hugged him.

"Any luck finding Nick?" I asked Tess as I stepped up to her. She shook her head. "No, we couldn't find him..." she said.

Sarah looked down at her feet. "A man was here..."

The group froze and all eyes were directed at her. Tess clenched her fists tightly. "What did she say?!" Rebecca asked, obviously shocked.

"Someone came to the cabin. Clementine talked to him." Sarah blurted out. "And you just opened the door for him?!", Rebecca asked.

"Rebecca, back off!" I snapped.

"I didn't open the door! I was gonna lock it, but he just walked in!", Clem defended herself.

"And you just let her do it?" Rebecca asked, turning her attention to me. I frowned. "I was gonna do it, but Clem insisted that Sarah and I hide!"

"She's telling the truth!" Sarah agreed.

"Did she say his name? Did he say what his name was?" Carlos asked desperately.

"I know EXACTLY who it was!" Tess growled.

"Maybe it wasn't him?", Rebecca suggested.

I growled. "You know damn well who it was!" I snapped.

Carlos looked down at Clem. "Look, Clem. Just tell us what he looked like. What was he wearing?" he asked.

"He wore a brown coat..."

"Did it have a lining? A collar?"

"Yeah. Fur..."

"That's definitely him!" I yelled as Tess slammed her fist down on the counter.

"DAMN IT!" she screamed.

"You're not gonna hurt anyone, are you?" Sarah asked Carlos. "Of course he won't, Sarah. Your dad's the nicest man I know. Which is why he's not gonna do anything crazy, or... _not nice, _right?" Luke said.

Carlos placed a hand on Sarah's back. "You know these are bad people, sweetie. They will do or say anything to hurt us..."

"What do you think? Did it seem like he was coming back?" asked Luke.

Definitely...

Sarah pulled out the photo of her. "He saw a picture of me..."

"A picture?! What were you doing taking pictures?!" Carlos angrily asked, snatching the picture from her before turning to me. "And you let her do this?!"

Now he's blaming me for this?! I stepped up to him and said, "Don't lay that one on me! We were just having fun! How were we supposed to know that Carver would barge in?!"

"Carlos, Anne! Both of you calm down. Alright, you're scaring Sarah." Luke said.

Clementine stepped in, "It's my fault. I took the picture."

Sarah's eyes widened. "No! I asked her too! It's MY fault!" she said, taking the blame.

Carlos sighed. "Sarah...?"

I then remembered something. "He saw my guitar."

Tess growled. "Shit! Now he KNOWS we're here!" she exclaimed.

"He was scouting. We got lucky. He wasn't expecting to find us. Clementine must have surprised him. If she hadn't been there... Well, he was too smart to stick around, but he'll be back with the rest. We don't have much time." said Carlos.

"He's right. Everybody pack your stuff! We're moving out!" Luke said.

Alvin stepped out of the kitchen looking angry, probably about the Carver incident. Rebecca followed after him, saying, "Alvin, wait!"

"Who is this guy?" asked Clementine. Tess closed her eyes. "You wanna know who he is? He's the son of a b**ch that killed my mother..." she said bitterly.

I stepped up in to talk to Clem. "Clem, I don't know what he told you, but William Carver is a dangerous man. He's the leader of a camp not too far from here, and he is VERY smart... These guys were... lucky to escape." I said, crossing my arms.

"How do you and Tess know him?" Clem asked.

I hesitated. Should I...? No, she deserves to know the truth.

"Let's just say that Tess and I were members of his community once..."

"But why is Tess so... angry?" asked Clementine. Tess closed her eyes sadly. "Because he was the b*****d I used to call 'Daddy'..." She reopened her eyes and laid a hand on Clem's shoulder. "Listen to me, Clementine. Now that he's seen you, you'll be safer with us."

She looked up at us. "We have to find Nick."

"You know where he is, right?" I asked. "Yeah." Clem replied.

"Alright. Everybody grab your stuff. Let's hit the road!" Luke said.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

The eight of us walked down the trail. Rebecca was up ahead talking to Clementine. Anne is not too far from me with her bags and her guitar slung over her shoulder.

I was anxious to find my boyfriend. I hope he wasn't bitten... or torn open. Or ANYTHING!

"UGH! Where IS he?!" I asked impatiently.

Anne stepped up behind me, holding her hands up in slight surrender. She said, "Whoa! Calm down, Tess! We're gonna find him!"

I glared at her. "We'd better..." I mumbled.

Suddenly, Clem strayed from the path, heading into the woods. Anne and I exchanged a look of confusion before we followed her, finding a small shed. Clem pointed at it. "That's it. That's where we were." she said. Luke and I walked forward with Anne and Clem following close behind. Luke quickly dispatched of the lurker in front of the shed doors. I looked at him, and he nodded.

"Nick!" I called. "Baby, you in there?"

All I got was a groan in response. I looked at Luke again, scared to death. He turned to Clem. "Get the door." he said. Clem cautiously opens the doors as we slowly step inside, seeing Nick's body slumped on the floor. He was pale as shit, but he was alive.

"Nick!" I said with relief as I went to help him. He smiled weakly. "Hey, honey. You got any aspirin?" he asked, obviously hungover.

Oh Lord...

Anne walked over to us with a deadpan look with an empty whiskey jar in her hand. "Really, Nick? You get stuck in a shed, and you get DRUNK?" she asked.

Nick smiled sheepishly, but it soon fell. "Baby, what's wrong?" I asked before he suddenly hugged me.

"Pete's dead..."

I hugged him back. I wanted to mourn him too, but now was not the time or place for it.

"I know, baby. We have to keep moving, OK? Carver came to the cabin. You think you can make it?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah." he replied. "Good, then let's go," Luke said as the four of us stepped out of the shed and caught up to the rest of the group. We began to walk down the path again when Nick stepped up to Clementine.

"Hey Clem? I just wanted to say... thanks for not giving up on me back there." he said.

"Don't worry about it." she said. Nick smiled, but it quickly fell as he slowed his pace. I slowed mine too as I took his hand in mine. Anne gave Nick a look of sympathy before she turned back around as we continued our journey down the path.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

I stared straight ahead as we walked down the path. Poor Nick... I can't imagine what he's going through right now...

"You... sure you still wanna come with us?" I heard Luke ask. "Look, I know we got off to a rough start, and I can't make any promises that it won't get any rougher, but we all know you now."

Clem smiled slightly. "Yeah. I'm with you guys." she said.

I smiled. "We're glad to have you." I said.

"Not everyone is...", she muttered, looking over her shoulder.

"They'll get there." Luke said. "I figure we got about four or five days to reach those mountains." he explained, pulling out a map, showing it to Clem and I. "Now if they're tracking us, we should be able to lose 'em up there."

Four to five days?! Oh boy, this is gonna be a LONG walk...

Rebecca sounded completely surprised. "Five days?!"

"It's gonna be OK, Bec." Alvin assured her. "We have to keep moving. It's our only choice..." said Carlos.

He's right... We have to keep moving. Now that Carver's shown up, he will do anything to find us... and bring us back... and he won't stop until he does...

I sighed inwardly and closed my eye. That monster just doesn't know when to give up, does he?


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

It's been at least a day since we left the cabin...

Tess and Nick lingered behind us. I noticed Clem up ahead, just a couple paces behind Luke. I quickened my pace to catch up to her.

"Hey Clem." I greeted, gaining her attention.

"Yeah?"

"Back at the cabin, when Carver came... you said your name was Carley... Was Carley someone you knew?" I asked.

She seemed surprised by my question. "Yeah... she was... she was in the last group I was in."

"What happened to her, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked. She looked sad for a moment. "After we escaped from a bandit attack, this lady started blaming others on giving them supplies. When we weren't looking, she shot Carley..."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh... what happened next?"

"We brought the lady with us, but she stole the RV and left..."

I looked away in shame slightly. I... probably shouldn't have asked that. I looked back at her, noticing that she looked slightly depressed. Ah man, now what?!

I looked around, seeing a small creek next to the path with a log a couple feet above it. I smirked as an idea popped into my head. Maybe this will cheer her up...

"Hey Clem! Betcha I can make it across that log!" I said with a grin. She gave me a questioning look as I walked over to Carlos. "Here. Hold this for me." I said as I handed him my bags and guitar before he could even object. I then stepped onto the log and spread my arms put to balance myself before I started walking across the log. "What're you doing?" I heard Nick ask. I ignored him and raised one foot up and stretched it out.

"Hey look! One foot!" I exclaimed. I could see Clementine smile a little bit, as well as Tess. Carlos rolled his eyes as the rest looked on in amusement.

I took a step forward, but I slipped. Oh boy...

I lost my balance and I fell into the small creek below. I could hear Tess cracking up as I landed in the stream. I sat up, seeing most of the group chuckling at me. As Tess and Luke climbed down to help me out, I could see Clem smiling again.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

Once I was out of the creek, we continued our trek. Up ahead, I noticed Tess wasn't with Nick this time. The memory of her suddenly vomiting in the morning a few times popped into my head. She's brushed it off like it was nothing the last few times, but something's up...

Is she hiding something?

I quickened my pace to catch up with her.

"Hey Tess," I greeted. She smiled back at me. "Hi Anne," she said.

"Are you OK?", I asked. She rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been vomiting in the morning for a while now. Are you SURE you're OK?"

"Of course I am," she replied quickly as she quickened her pace. I rose an eyebrow. Why does she seem so jumpy right now? What's she hiding?

"I'm serious, Tess. What's up?" I said as I narrowed my eye.

"I..."

"Hey Tess! Can you come here for a sec?" Luke called suddenly. She looked as if she was glad Luke called her, because I saw a smile of relief on her face before she darted over to him. I paused for a moment and let Carlos and Alvin pass me.

Seriously, what is up with her? Why won't she answer me?

As we round a corner, I'm yanked out of my thoughts when I suddenly feel something wrap around my foot and I'm yanked off of my feet.

WHAT THE?!

* * *

**Tess's POV**

"AHHHH! NICK! TESS! HEEELLLPP!"

ANNE!

My legs pumped with adrenaline with Nick, Clementine, and Luke right behind me. I stopped cold when I saw Anne... hanging upside down from her roped foot... from a tree...

"DAMN IT! NOW I'M HANGING FROM THIS DAMN TREE!", Anne screamed, flailing her arms around as the rest of the group caught up to us. Luke, Clem, Nick, and I were trying not to laugh.

"What the hell is this?!", asked Alvin.

"M-must be a trap!", I stammered to them before I shouted up to a fuming Anne, "Hey! Anne! HOW'S IT HANGING?!"

By now, Luke is covering his mouth to try and hold in his muffled laughter. Anne spins around, crosses her arms, and glares at us with her visible eye.

"Haha... You're hilarious... NOW GET ME DOWN!"

This only causes me to let out a chuckle.

"You think whoever set this trap us is still around here?", asked Alvin. Rebecca shuddered. "There's no way I'm gonna stick around to find out. Come on, guys. Hurry up and get her down," she said.

I stepped up to the tree to examine it. Whoever set up this trap did a pretty good job on it...

"Hm, this might take a while..."

Anne crossed her arms. "Oh, go ahead. Take your time, I got nothing better to do here..."

I climbed up to the tree and sat on the branch to examine the rope. I tried untying it, but had no luck. My eyes then wandered down to my knife, and back at the rope...

If only I could- HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!

"Hey, Nick!", I yelled down to the ground where Nick was sitting. He looked at me, standing up. "Yeah?", he asked.

I pointed to the ground below Anne. "I need you to stand right there!"

He did so, with a confused look on his face.

I nodded. "Good," I said. "Now get ready to catch her, OK?", I got my knife ready as Nick widened his eyes.

"WAIT, WHAT?!", he exclaimed just as I cut the rope.

"AHHH!", Anne screamed as she fell. Nick quickly held his arms out to catch her.

Despite having Nick catch her, Anne ended up landing on his back.

I winced. Ooh...

I climbed down to help them up. "Sorry, couldn't think of anything else...", I said sheepishly.

Nick groaned and rubbed his now sore back. "Could you at least WARN us next time?", he grumbled. I smiled sheepishly in response.

Carlos stepped up to us. "Now that we've got out of the way, we need to keep moving," he reminded. I nodded as Anne staggered to her feet. We're wasting time. The longer we stop to rest, the closer Carver will get to us.

I helped Anne get the remains of the rope trap off her foot before we continued down the trail.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

I shook my head to clear the dizziness that remained. Man, that hurt!

I glanced up at the sky, which was beginning to darken.

"We should stop, guys," I spoke up. Rebecca stopped walking and nodded as she held her back. "Yeah, I need to rest...", she said.

Wow, we actually agreed on something!

Carlos looked hesitant as he looked at the rest of the group. Luke spoke up before he could. "Alright, y'all. Let's stop here for the night."

We all headed into a clear patch in the woods and set our things down. "I'll keep watch. You guys get your rest. You're gonna need it," said Luke.

I laid down, using one of my bags as a pillow, and stared up into the night sky.

A while later, my eye started to get droopy, and I let sleep take me.

* * *

_I found myself standing in an empty part of town. I blinked. That's weird. Where is everyone? I looked up into the sky. It was pitch black. _

_I wandered around, hoping to find out what the hell was going on. _

_"Hello?" I called. No answer. _

_Suddenly, I felt someone grab me from behind. I then heard laughter. _

_"Well, well, look what we have here! The little Cyclops is out for a stroll!" I heard a boy say. I froze. No... not him! Anyone but him!_

_"What's a freak like you doing out here?" I heard another voice ask. I struggled __to get out of their grip. "Let me go!",I yelled. I was suddenly punched in the face._

_"I don't think so!" the voice from before laughed. I growled and elbowed him in the gut. He responded by twisting my arm behind my back and slamming me against the wall and held my face to it. "Now that wasn't very nice!" he chuckled darkly. He then punched me again, sending me towards the ground, scraping my knees in the process._

_"How about we teach you a lesson, huh?" he asked as he grabbed me by the shirt. "A freak like you shouldn't exist! You don't belong here!" he exclaimed with a cruel smile as he slammed me against the wall again. He grabbed my head and rammed the side of my face into it several times. Each slam drew blood from my face. _

_I could hear the rest laughing cruelly at me as I tried to fight him off. He then turned me around, and punched me straight in the stomach. _

_I gasped, clutching my stomach as I fell to the ground. I couldn't breathe._

_The boys then started kicking and punching me as I writhed on the ground. _

_"STOP! PLEASE, STOP!" I begged. The beating continued. Several minutes later, I had a black eye, several bruises, and blood everywhere. I'm then kicked in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me again._

_"You think the freak's learnt her lesson yet, guys?", I could hear him ask. The others disagreed. Through my swollen eye, I could see a cruel and evil grin as he grabbed me by the back of my shirt. "I've got an idea that will surely teach her a lesson! Leave the rest to me!"_

_I stiffened. Oh God, no... Not this! Not again!_

_The rest of my attackers ran away as the boy dragged me into a nearby alley as I struggled to get out of his grip. _

_"I am so going to enjoy this, Cyclops!" he laughed evilly. _

_"NO! NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed. He then threw me down, stunning me briefly. Once I recovered, I could see him approaching me menacingly, his cruel grin glowing in the dark. I backed away from him in fear._

_"Please... no! Stop! STOP!"_

"NOOO!" I screamed as I sat up, gasping for breath. It was just a dream...

"Anne?" I heard Luke ask. I looked up, seeing him sitting not too far away from me with a look of concern on his face. "You OK?"

I swallowed and nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," I lie. "Just a bad dream."

He seemed to buy it as he turned back around. I sighed quietly as I laid back down and rolled over on my side.

That dream... it was just like that night...

I shut my eye tightly. No, Anne... don't think about it...

Just... don't think about it...


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

It's now been five days since we left the cabin, and we are tired as hell, especially Rebecca.

I slouched over as I walked. Honestly, how much longer are we gonna walk?!

Up ahead, I could see a large red bridge, as well as mountains in the distance. I inwardly cheered. We're almost there!

I set my bags down as Luke pulled out the map to examine it. Clementine climbed up onto a large rock and peered through a pair of binoculars.

"See anything?" Luke asked.

"She better see something." Alvin moaned. "We've been walking for a damn week."

"There's a lift or something." Clem observed.

"Chair lift? Must be that ski resort." Luke said.

"I've never been skiing before." Clem said. "Bec and I went skiing once." Alvin brought up. Rebecca smiled. "It wasn't pretty." she said with a chuckle. Clementine picked the binoculars back up. "There's a building on the mountain," Clem said, gaining our attention. "What's it look like?" Luke asked.

"It's big."

"That sounds like a good place to spend the night," said Tess.

"There's a little house by the bridge."

"How big is it?" asked Carlos.

"Pretty small." Clem said as she put the binoculars up and climbed down. "We have to cross that bridge. Let's go." Carlos said crossing his arms.

"Hold on, now. We can't go sprinting across that thing, OK?" Luke pointed out. "If we get spotted, we're gonna be trapped."

"Going around that lake will take too long."

"Right, but we've got no idea what's out there. I'm gonna sneak across and make sure it's clear before we bring the whole group over."

"You think splitting up the group is a good idea?" asked Carlos. Luke smiled lightly. "I never said it was a GOOD idea, but it's better than risking everyone at once."

"What's your plan, then?" asked Tess.

"Clem and I can scoot across low and slow and make sure nobody's waiting for us on the other side."

"We'll have a tough time covering you from back here." Alvin pointed out.

"Well, we just turn back if it gets hairy." said Luke.

"Clementine should stay here, she's-"

Luke cut him off. "She's what?"

"She's just a little girl, Luke."

"I can do it." Clem said confidently. "It's gonna be fine. We'll signal you guys in ten minutes. Just watch for a light at the far side." Luke instructed.

"I can go too," Nick said standing up. We exchanged nervous looks. He really shouldn't be doing stuff like this... especially since Pete...

"You can stay here with the group." Luke said.

Nick frowned. "I'm fine, Luke."

Carlos crossed his arms. "I don't like this." he muttered. Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, when's the last time you liked anything, Carlos?" he shot back. "I'll cover you." said Nick.

Luke sighed. "Come on." he told Clem as they headed towards the bridge. Nick started to go after them, but Tess placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her before he reluctantly stepped back.

I sat down, watching Luke and Clementine until they disappeared from our sight.

* * *

For several minutes, we stood there, waiting for Luke to give the signal.

I looked up, and I noticed something.

"Hey guys, what's that?" I asked, gaining their attention.

On the bridge, I could see a figure approaching Luke and Clem. He seemed to be holding a rifle, but he lowered it as he approached them. Nick's eyes widened.

"They're in trouble!" he exclaimed as he ran towards the bridge before we could object.

"Nick, wait!" Tess called as we darted after him. Damn it, he's gonna get himself killed if he keeps doing this!

Moments later, when we reach the bridge, I can see Nick aiming his rifle at someone, but I can't see who. Suddenly, we hear a gunshot ring out. We pick up our speed. What happened?! Who shot who?!

I can see Luke and Nick arguing. The man from earlier is gone. What happened?!

Once we caught up, Luke sighed. "Come on, we need to get off this bridge," he muttered as he turned on his heel. Once all of us made it across the bridge, I crossed my arms and glared at them.

"Alright, would someone mind telling me what the f**k is going on?!" I snapped.

"We ran into someone, but Nick here thought he was gonna shoot us, so he shot him!" Luke explained.

HE DID WHAT?!

"WHAT?!", Tess exclaimed.

"Who was that back there?" Rebecca asked as she leaned over, holding her back. "Looked like he had a gun on you!" Alvin said. "That a**hole drew on me! He was about to shoot!" Nick said.

"Oh, was he?" Luke asked. "I'm telling you, man, he drew first!" Nick defended himself.

"That's not what it looked like to me!" Tess said.

"Everybody calm down!" Clementine said. "What did you see, Clem? Was that guy gonna shoot?" asked Alvin.

"F**k you, Luke! You've been on my case the whole week!" Nick snapped. "And why do you think that is?" Luke asked calmly.

"He wasn't gonna do anything..." Clem told us. Nick scowled. "I know what I saw!" he insisted.

I frowned. "Just because it LOOKED like he was gonna shoot doesn't give you an excuse to shoot that guy in the f**king neck!" I snapped as I stepped up to him. "You coulda hit Clementine or Luke!"

"Yeah, but I didn't!" Nick shot back. I opened my mouth to say something, but Tess stepped in between us. "Alright you two, break it up!" she said.

"Look, I know Pete was close to you, but-", Luke began to say, but Nick angrily cut him off. "Don't you f**king talk about him!"

"Do you think he was with Carver?" asked Carlos.

"I don't know... I- No. I don't think so. But he fell over." Luke said. "He fell off the damn bridge?!" Alvin asked.

"We have to keep moving." Carlos brought up. "I can't. I need a minute..." Rebecca said. I looked at her. She seemed pretty tired as she sat down.

"Fine." Carlos agreed. "Luke, Tess, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. Carlos, Luke, and Tess headed over to a tree nearby. Nick scowled and stormed over to a bench over by the station.

"Hey, Clem? You got anything to eat?" asked Alvin. "Bec's dying here."

"Alvin, I told you, I'm fine." Rebecca insisted.

"Sorry. I'm out." Clem said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"What about you, Anne?" he asked me. I shoved my hands into my pockets. "Nope. Sorry." I admitted.

"Wish we still had those juice boxes..."

"Me too..." Sarah agreed.

Clem looked at the building nearby. "That man said he had food in the station." she brought up.

"Mind checking it out? Maybe we could spend the night in there, but looks a little small for us, though..."

"Sure."

Alvin smiled. "Thanks, Clem." he said as he sat down next to Rebecca. I looked down at Clem.

"Mind if I come with ya?" I asked. She nodded. "Sure."

The two of us headed over to the station. Nick looked up and frowned as we approached him.

"Thanks for backing me up there." he muttered sarcastically. I crossed my arms. "Nick, give her a break." I chided. Nick looked past us, and saw Carlos, Luke, and Tess talking.

"I'm sure they're talking about me right now. 'Luke, Tess, he's becoming a danger to the group!'" he said, mimicking Carlos's accent. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling at Nick's imitation of him.

"So who was that guy?" he asked. "I swear, it looked like he was holding you guys up. I figured that he was with Carver."

"He seemed nice..."

"Damn...", Nick whispered. "If Alvin is in front of me, he takes that shot. What a f**king mess... Maybe I am losing it... I don't know anymore." Nick sighed. "God, I'm hungry... What time is it, anyway?", he asked as he looked down at his wrist, but found nothing. "Damn. Damn it!"

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I left my watch back at the cabin. It was Pete's... he gave it to me..."

Clem then smiled. "I found it back at the cabin." she said as she reached into her bag. "Let me get it."

Nick's eyes widened. "What? Really...?" he asked as Clementine handed him the watch. Nick smiled. "Thank you. This means... thank you, Clem..."

I smiled myself. Good call, Clem.

Nick then stood up. "You know what? I'm gonna go talk to them." he told us as he stood up and walked towards Luke, Tess, and Carlos. Clem and I turned back to the station. We still gotta check...

Clem opened the door and we stepped inside. Hm, Alvin was right. The place looks too small for us to stay the night in...

I noticed Clementine head over to a bed near the fireplace. "I guess that man slept here..." she thought aloud. My eye wandered over to a radio. I pressed the power button, but nothing happened. I rolled my eye. Of course it's dead...

Clem wandered over to a trunk. Next to it were several cans. I knelt down and examined them.

"All empty..." I muttered.

"That man said he had lots of food. There's gotta be something left," Clem said. I grabbed the lid of the trunk and tried to open it. No luck.

"Damn it. Needs a key..."

"That man probably had it." Clem guessed as she walked over to a table and picked up a survival knife. She examined it and slashed the air with it. "Feels pretty good," she commented as she placed the knife back in it's sheath. She walked back over to the trunk, pulled the knife out, and slipped it behind the lock. A moment later, she pried it open.

"Wow. Nice job." I praised as we peeked inside. There were two cans of peaches, as well as a few books. Just then, Alvin stepped inside. "Man... and I thought WE had it bad. Look at this dump..." he muttered as he examined the place. He then noticed the can of peaches Clem held in her hand. "Guess he did have food. Man, f**k Nick... He's lost a lot of his people, that's for sure, but that doesn't give him any excuse to go and shoot strangers."

"He was trying to help." Clem said. "Yeah, and someone died cause of that. I ain't no judge, but that's straight up murder in my book. I mean, you ever known anyone who would do a thing like that?" Alvin asked. "Actually, yeah... a woman in our group. Her dad died... and then... she just shot this other woman..." Clem explained.

I rose an eyebrow. She must be talking about the woman who shot this 'Carley'...

Alvin's eyes widened. "Damn. What did you guys do?" he asked. "We brought her with us, but she stole the RV and ran away..."

"Damn..." Alvin muttered. He then knelt down and pulled the other can of peaches out of the trunk. He looked at it, smiled, and showed it to us. "That's funny. She looks just like you." he said, referring to the girl on the can.

I looked at Clementine and held back a chuckle. She's not amused...

"Hey, Clem, there's not a lot of food left, and Rebecca... well, she eating for two. You think you can keep this just between the three of us? I'd hate to even say it, you know but- I'd never go against the group, but I gotta put Bec and the baby first..."

Clementine smiled slightly. "Rebecca can have it. I won't say anything."

"Thanks, Clementine." Alvin said before he turned to me. "You OK with this?"

"Yeah. She can have it. My lips are sealed," I said. He smiled before we looked out the window, seeing Luke, Carlos, Nick, and Tess talk about something. "It's a shame. Nick was a good guy. He's still a good guy, but he's just losing it... God knows we're not perfect... Hell, I'm glad you're with us, Clementine." he said, earning a smile from Clem. I noticed something by the bridge, and rose an eyebrow. "What the hell is that?" I asked as Alvin and Clem came up to my side.

Shit, lurkers are coming!

"Walkers!" Clementine said. We darted out of the station. "Guys, we got a problem!" I exclaimed as the rest walked up to us. "Yeah, we saw." Luke said with a nod. "Alright, we're heading up!" he said before we started running away towards the large hill nearby.


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

**Two special characters are making an appearance. My thanks to I heart Lyoko for letting me use them!**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

It's now dark, and we just reached the ski lodge. Man, my feet are KILLING me! I feel like I'm gonna collapse any second now!

Nick and Carlos are crouching down, looking for any signs of danger as Rebecca pants as she reaches the top of the hill.

"Well? What're we waiting for?" Rebecca asked, exhausted.

Carlos looks back at us just as I reach her side. "We have to be careful." he reminded.

Rebecca gives him a look. "Careful? We've been on the road for five days. My back is done being careful."

I hunch over, placing my hands on my knees. "I'm with Rebecca on this one." I said. "My feet feel like they're gonna fall off at any second now..."

Alvin stepped onto the deck and examined the boarded up windows. "Doesn't look like anybody's home." he observed as the rest of us stepped onto the deck. Tess tried prying off a board, but failed. "Damn, this is STUR-DAY!" she muttered. I stepped up to the window and tried to pull one off, but it wouldn't budge. Wow, she was right, whoever nailed these down did a pretty good job...

"I'll go check around front." said Alvin. "I'll go with you." Carlos said as he and Alvin headed towards the front.

I let out a weary groan as I sat down several feet away from Clem and Luke, who were observing the ski lift.

"... Could probably get a better view up top. You'd have an easier time getting up there. You feel like taking a look?" I heard Luke ask.

I look over my shoulder and stare at the ski lift. Man, that's high...

"It'd just be like climbing a treehouse."

"I had a treehouse once..." Clem said.

Well, this should be easy for her! She must have climbed it so many times that-

"I hated it."

"Oh."

Well, THAT killed the mood...

I sat there as Luke and Clem walked past me towards the lift.

A few more minutes pass by. I'm surprised, it's actually pretty peaceful for once...

"Don't you f**king move!"

... I take it back.

I look up, and I see a few people standing a few feet away from Tess... and one of them's holding a rifle!

"Hey! What the hell?!" I exclaimed as I jumped to my feet, attracting the attention of the rest of the group. Carlos and Alvin run around the corner and run up behind us as a man with a beard shoves Tess towards us.

"This our house! Get the hell out!"

"We've been walking for five days! Give us a f**king break!" Nick snapped as he aimed his rifle at beard-guy, who aimed his rifle right back.

"Are you robbers?!" I hear a voice ask. It sounds a lot younger than beard-guy's, more like a teenager's...

"I swear, we're not here for that!" I exclaimed. Just then, Luke runs up to us, but hold on, where's Clementine?!

"What's going on here?!" he asked as he held his hands up in surrender.

"There's more of you?!" Beard-guy growls.

"Listen everyone, just stay calm!" Luke said calmly as he looked back and forth between Nick and the guy with a beard, who's aims haven't lowered.

"Who are you?! Are you trying to rob us?!" a woman with an Indian accent asks as she eyed us cautiously.

"Excuse me, honey, but do I look like a f**king thief?" Rebecca snapped.

Tess held up her hands in surrender. "Look, this his all just a misunderstanding!"

I glared at them. "We're not robbing anybody! God, how many times do I have to say it?!" I ask, frustrated from this.

"Everyone calm down!" a guy wearing a red sweater said.

You want US to calm down?! You were the ones who drew on us first!

"Hey, man, you calm the f**k down!" Alvin shot back.

"Sarah, get behind me!" Carlos ordered as he stepped in front of Sarah protectively. Tess took a step forward. "We thought this place was abandoned! We'll leave right now!" she tried to reason.

"Just tell us who you are!" Sweater-guy says. OK, now this is getting ridiculous!

"Not until you tell us who YOU are!" I shot back. I felt Tess gently place a hand on my shoulder. "Anne..." she gently warned.

"Why should we tell you that?!" I hear another younger voice that also sounds like a teenager's.

"Just put the gun down, man!", Alvin said.

"F**k that!" Beard-guy snaps.

"You're in no position to make demands!" I hear the younger voice from earlier say.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa..." Luke said, trying to calm the guy with the beard; it's not having any effect.

"Guys, just settle down!" Tess said.

"Please... Just DO what he says!" the Indian woman pleaded.

"It'll save you a whole lot of trouble!" I hear one of the younger voices say.

Just then, I hear a gasp behind me. I look over my shoulder just in time to see Clem weave her way through the group and past me. She is looking straight at the man with the gun. The man notices her and he looks completely shocked.

"Kenny...?!"

WHAT THE?!

"Wait, you KNOW this guy?!" I asked confused.

The man, Kenny, continued to look down at Clem in shock. "Clementine...?"

She suddenly leaped forward and hugged Kenny, who hugged her right back with a smile.

Tess smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

Kenny smiles and places a hand on her shoulder before he looks back at us. "These people with you?"

She nods. I step up to them. "Would someone mind telling me what's going on?"

I then hear two more gasps as two people step up to us. They're both teenage boys, most likely my age. The guy on the right has short, messy brown hair. He is wearing a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt with blue jeans. He has a scar running over his right eyebrow to under his right eye.

The second one has dark brown hair that is styled in a messy buzz cut. He is wearing a black long sleeved shirt with blue jeans. On his right cheek, I can make out a scar. Both of these guys seem pretty surprised to see me, but I don't know why.

"Is that..."

"N-no... It can't be..."

I blink in confusion. "What are you talking about?!"

They take a close look at me. OK, now I'm starting to get a little freaked out...

"Anne?" asked the one with the leather jacket.

What...? How do they know my name...?!

"Am I supposed to know you?" I asked.

The one wearing the long sleeved shirt took a step closer to me. "Anne, come on... It's us, remember?" he asked me.

I looked at him and gasped. He has one blue eye and one hazel.

Those eyes... I've seen them before!

* * *

_I fall to the ground from another punch as I hear laughter. I then hear another voice, it sounds angry. _

_"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"_

_I clutch my cheek, which has a bruise forming on it. I don't look up, but I can hear blows being landed. I then hear the sound of running feet get fainter._

_"You OK?"_

_I slowly look up, and I see a hand being offered to me. I take it, and the person helps me up. _

_"T-thanks..."_

_They are both boys around my age. What stands out about them is their eyes. One of them has a green eye and a blue eye and the other has a hazel eye and a blue eye._

_"Who are you?"_

_"I'm..."_

* * *

"-D-Dylan?! Chase!" I exclaimed. Now I remember! It's them! The two who saved me that time!

I leapt forward and nearly tackled them both in a hug. They hug me back.

"What? You know these two, Anne?" Tess asked.

I let go of them and turned to the others with a slight smile. "Yeah. This is Chase and Dylan Enheart. I met them four years ago."

"Man, it's so good to see you again!" Dylan said as he hugged me again.

Kenny stood up. "We can talk inside." he said. Carlos looked at Sarah before he asked, "You sure you don't mind?"

The guy with the red sweater nodded. "It's going to storm soon. Please come in." he said. Clementine and Kenny exchanged a smile as they walked ahead of Dylan, Chase, and I. I smile myself. Things are actually looking up for us...

* * *

Kenny, Clementine, Chase, Dylan, the guy with the sweater, and I step inside while the others are still behind.

Whoa... This place was huge! Seriously, there's a huge lobby, several tables, who-knows-how-many rooms, it has it ALL!

"Kenny, Sarita, Chase, and Dylan have been staying with us for several weeks. Used to be a ski lodge, obviously, so we have plenty of food," the guy with the sweater said as he climbed up the steps. "And believe it or not, we still get some power from that wind turbine outside. We tend to keep most of the lights off at night to avoid drawing attention. But after we found this stuff in storage, we couldn't resist making an exception."

Kenny turned around to us as the guy with the sweater talked. He made the 'blah-blah-blah' gesture while silently moving his mouth. I held back a laugh as Clementine quietly giggled.

The man wearing the sweater noticed and asked, "What's funny?"

Kenny smiled. "Oh nothing, Walt. Walter here is one smart son of a b**ch. Makes a mean can of beans, too." he said as he slapped the man, Walter, on the shoulder. I hear the door open behind me and we turn around to see the others step inside. By the looks on their faces, I can tell they're just as impressed as I am right now.

"Please, make yourselves at home. You can leave your things over there." Walter said, gesturing to a bench over by the door. Rebecca frowned. "The hell we will." she said.

"Yeah, I'm holding onto my rifle..." Nick agreed.

"You're our guests here. There's no need to worry." Walter said gently.

"Tell him to put his gun down, then." said Nick. "Nick, please..." Tess said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Will you vouch for these people, Clem?" asked Kenny. "If you tell me they're good, then I'm good."

Clementine nodded. "They're cool."

Just then, the Indian woman, who must be Sarita, Carlos, and Sarah step inside. Sarah smiles when she sees the Christmas tree in the lobby. "Dad, look! A Christmas tree!" she said with a smile. "Not now, Sarah..." Carlos gently denied. Sarita smiled. "Isn't it great? We found it all in storage." she said.

Kenny and Sarita exchange a look. He was silent for a moment before he walked over to the bench and set his rifle down on it. Chase and Dylan exchange a look before they set down their guns and knives on the bench. I follow them and set down my gun and knife, as well as my guitar and bags. Soon, the others decide to put their weapons down on it too, as well as our bags.

Sarita smiled. "Good. If you'll all follow me, I'll show you where you can sleep." she said as she led Carlos, Tess, Nick, Rebecca, Luke, Sarah, and Alvin upstairs. Clementine followed Kenny over to the fireplace. They must have a lot of catching up to do...

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see Dylan smiling at me. "You... wanna talk?" he asked. I nodded. Chase, Dylan, and I walked over to a couple of chairs and we sit down in them. I sigh. Man, I haven't sat in anything this comfy since we left the cabin!

"So... where have you been?" I asked.

"Well, a while after we met you, we had to... go overseas..." said Chase.

"Overseas?"

"It's a long story. Anyway, ever since we left, we were traveling around Europe, and we stayed in France for a few years. Before sh** started happening, we took a plane to the US for a vacation. A few days later... well..." Dylan trailed off.

"We met Kenny and Sarita when we were looking for food. You should have seen that guy's beard back then." Chase said with a chuckle. "Anyway, after we saved their a*ses from walkers, they let us travel with them. We met Walter and Matthew several weeks ago and we've been staying here ever since."

"So... what about you? How've you been since the last time we've saw you?", asked Dylan.

"Well... I still dealt with sh** like that..." I said. The memory of... that night popped into my head, but I quickly forced it out. "I got sick of it, and just a few days before the walkers showed up, I left my house... I survived on my own for a while... then I met Tess... Her father let me stay at their community. I am so glad they did, cause if they didn't, I'd be one of... THEM."

"Sounds like Tess is a nice girl." said Chase. "She is. She and Nick got together after a while, but..." I trailed off.

"But?", asked Dylan. "They left several months ago. Just like that... I heard that Nick wanted to bring Tess with him, but he didn't get the chance to ask her..."

"So... why did you leave?" asked Dylan. I frowned. "Just a few months ago... Carver, Tess's father... he let his ex-wife get eaten alive, just so we could escape. He said that since she got scratched on the arm, she was a burden to the camp..."

"WHAT?! Why couldn't he just cut off the arm?!" Chase asked. "That's what I thought, but apparently, he didn't care..."

I clenched my fist. "Tess and I saw what kind of monster he was after that... so we left. We met up with Nick and the others a few days later, and we stayed at this cabin with them. One day, a guy with a bite came to the cabin asking for help, so we patched him up the best we could, but in the end... he turned. The guy killed Nick's mother just before we put him down... but... his mother turned, and he was forced to kill her..."

Chase's face softened. "Damn..." he whispered.

"Yeah... Tess comforted him the best she could..." I said. "Clementine's been with us for more than a week now."

"How did you meet her?" Dylan asked. "Luke and Pete found her in the woods one day with a nasty cut on her arm. We thought it was a lurker bite, but she said it was a dog bite. Turns out, she was right. We found out the hard way..." I said looking down. "A day after that, Clementine, Nick, and Nick's uncle Pete headed down to a stream to go fishing, but they didn't come back for a while. Turns out, they got ambushed by lurkers... and Pete died... Clem and Nick stayed in a shed for more than a day. Clem managed to escape and get back to the cabin. I stayed with her and Sarah as the others went out to find Nick. That's when..."

"When what?" asked Chase. "When Carver showed up," I said, clenching my fist. "He figured out that we were there very quick, so as soon as the others came back, we packed up our things and left as soon as possible. We managed to find Nick in the shed, and we've been traveling on the road for five days. We noticed the ski lodge, so we decided to check it out, and here we are..."

"Why is this 'Carver' person after you?" asked Chase. "Carver is the kind of guy that doesn't like to let things go... He's a monster. He is very dangerous... He will do anything to bring us back there, especially Tess and Rebecca..." I said.

"Sh**..." Chase muttered.

A moment of silence passes.

"That's a, uh... cool bandanna you got there." Dylan said, referring to the bandanna I use to cover my right eye, along with my bangs. "Thanks." I said with a smile.

"Why are you wearing it?" he asked.

I looked down. "I... I'd rather not talk about it..."

Dylan nodded understandingly. He and Chase then stood up. "I'm gonna go see if your friends need anything." he said. I nodded as I watched them enter a room, where I saw Tess, Clementine, and the others head into when I was talking to them.

It's now quiet... Too quiet...

My eye wanders around the room and I see my guitar over by the bench. I smile before I get up, walk over to bench, and grab my guitar. I sit down on a couch and begin to play a tune.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

"Come on, guys, just calm down." I sigh.

"We can't stay here, it's too risky..." Rebecca said.

We are currently discussing whether or not we should stay here, and right now, we're not getting anywhere with this argument...

"Guys, we have been on the road for five freaking days." said Nick.

"But Carlos, what if Carver finds us?" asked Rebecca.

"He won't, Bec. We're safe." Alvin assured her. I stepped in. "Yeah! We'll be fine, Rebecca. It's a ski lodge, so why would he look here?" I ask with a shrug.

Rebecca gave me a look of disbelief before she relaxed and gave a small smile in return.

I smile back. Just then, my ears pick up the strumming of a guitar as Carlos, Alvin, and Bec begin to chat about the ski lodge. "Guys!" I whisper-shouted, shutting them up quickly. They gave me a questioning look as I put a finger to my lips, saying, "Shh!"

We're all silent for a moment, then we hear singing. All of us looked confused as we inched through the door to the lobby, where Anne was sitting on one of the couches, strumming her guitar and singing with her eyes closed.

_"All systems go_

_Sun hasn't died_

_Deep in my bones_

_Straight from inside_

_I'm waking uuuuuupppp..._

_I feel it in my bones _

_Enough to make my systems blow_

_Welcome to the new age, to the new age_

_Welcome to the new age, to the new age_

_Whoa oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh_

_I'm... Radioactive_

_Radioactive!_

_Whoa oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh_

_I'm... Radioactive_

_Radioactive!"_

"Wow..." Clementine whispered.

'Wow' is right! I was impressed, as was the rest of us. Wow, who knew Anne could sing so well?!

I clapped first, applauding the girl for her skills. The second I started clapping, Nick, Luke, Chase, and Dylan clapped along with me, and then everyone else joined in.

Anne, not expecting this, spun around in shock. Her cheeks reddened, and she looked down, smiling flatteringly.

"That was amazing!" Dylan said as he stepped up to her. Anne, still blushing, smiled and scratched the back of her head. "Thanks..."

"Holy sh**, I haven't heard anyone sing like that for a long time!" said Kenny.

"You have a pretty good singing voice, ya know...", Dylan complimented.

Anne blushed again. "T-thanks..."

I noticed this, and I only smirked. She looked up at me and rose an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked. I smile and walk away. "Oh, nothing..." I said. Hehe... and after all the times she teased me...

* * *

**Anne's POV**

That was weird... why was she smirking like that? Oh well...

"Everyone, dinner is served! Come and get it!" Walter called.

I perked up. Dinner?! Alright!

We all head over to the tables. I sat down next to Tess and Nick. Walter puts the peaches and beans in our bowls and we dig in.

Oh, I'm in heaven... I haven't had anything THIS good in forever!

"You OK, man?" Luke asked Nick. "Yeah... I just wish I hadn't pulled that trigger..." Nick muttered. Tess placed her hand on top of his to comfort him. "It's OK... just try to forget about it..." she said.

Clem walked up to the tables. Luke raised his arm to invite her over to us, but Kenny cut him off. "Right here, Clem!" he called as he waved her over to his table.

She looked back and forth, trying to decide who to sit with, us or Kenny...

Must be hard for her to decide... but hey, it's her choice... not mine...


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

**Chase and Dylan Enheart belong to I heart Lyoko**

* * *

**Tess's POV**

Clementine walked over to Kenny's table and sat with Kenny, Chase, Sarita, Dylan, and Walter.

I smiled behind her back. She gets to reunite with an old friend!

I see the slightly hurt look on Luke's face. With a sigh, I reach over to him and patted his hand. "Luke..." I said, staring pointedly at him. Luke turned around and looked into my eyes, giving me a look that made me squirm mentally.

"I wouldn't blame her..." Anne said as Luke, Nick, and I looked at her. "She JUST reunited with an old friend, after all. I would wanna sit at their table if I'd ever knew him."

I playfully scoff. "Gee, thanks..."

"Do you think we can trust him?" Luke asked. I raise an eyebrow. What's he getting at?

Anne nodded. "If Clem can trust him, then I can too."

I already knew I could trust Kenny. "I think he's an OK guy..." I said, eating more of my food.

After a moment of silence, Luke said, "Walter told me that his family died..."

I stopped eating. Kenny told me about it earlier...

Anne's eye widened in shock. "What...?" she asked.

I decided to speak up. "He lost his wife and son in the same day..." I said, ignoring the looks of shock from the group.

"That's horrible!" Sarah said. Luke nodded sadly. "A thing like that can hit a guy pretty hard..."

Anne closed her eye.

I looked at Nick, who had closed his eyes. He's probably thinking about Marie and Pete right now... I rubbed his shoulder to comfort him. I look over Luke's shoulder, and I see Kenny and Sarita talking to Clementine about... Something...

Anne leaned over to whisper to me. "Whaddya think they're talking about?"

I shrug in response. "I don't know... Let's go find out."

Nick, Luke, Anne, and I pick up our bowls and head over to Kenny's table just as Walter and Sarita move to sit at ours.

"Hey, Clem!" Anne greeted as we sit down. Nick and I sat together next to Clementine, Dylan, and Chase while Luke sat next to Kenny on his left and Anne sat on his right.

Kenny said, "Hey there."

"Hey," Luke replied.

"Hope you like the food."

Anne smiled at Kenny and said, "It's great!"

Kenny chuckled at her and said, "You must be Anne."

Anne nodded and ate her food.

"Peaches and beans!" Kenny announced. "Great for nutrition, not so great on the way out, I tell ya."

Nick, Clem, Anne, Luke, and I look at him in disgust as he laughed at his own joke.

Anne gagged and dropped her spoon. "Dude... I was EATING." she complained, pushing her bowl away from her.

"Sorry... sorry. So... It's Luke... and Nick. Luke and Nick. I gotta say, you two sure do look like a match!" said Kenny.

Luke and Nick stop eating to glare at the man. I choke on my own breath, trying not to laugh. Anne quietly snickers while Chase smirks and Dylan holds back a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked, slightly offended.

"I'm just saying that you two look like good friends, that's all." Kenny replied. I snickered at the two's reaction before explaining to Kenny, grabbing Nick's hand with mine. "Hate to break it to ya, but Nick's actually my boyfriend."

Kenny's eyebrows shot up. "Oh! My bad..." he apologized.

"So." Luke began. "What's your plan here? Hold out till the winter?"

Kenny shook his head as he replied, "Actually, we were thinking about moving on up north. Ever heard of a place called Wellington?"

Clementine nodded. "Christa and I were going there." she said.

Anne rose an eyebrow and looked at her. "Isn't that the lady you were with?"

Clem didn't get a chance to answer as Kenny said, "Supposed to be a big camp near Michigan."

"Michigan?" Nick repeated.

"You got a hearing problem, kid? Yeah, Michigan! Think about it; fresh water, lots of land, and cold a*s winters so the walkers get slow!"

"Sounds like bullsh**." Nick said. I looked at him, placing a hand on his arm. "Nick..." I warned.

Anne spoke up, "Guys, look. Let's not fight. Let's just sit down and eat."

Then things settled down for a few moments before Kenny turned to her and noticed the bandanna around Anne's eye. Sh**!

"What's with the bandanna?" he asked.

Anne stiffened, dropping her spoon again. "I don't wanna talk about it..." she muttered, looking away.

Kenny's face softened and he said, "Hey, it's OK, kid. You can just take it off and set it-"

Anne cut him off by shouting, "I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, OK?!"

The whole room went silent, their stares directed at Anne.

Anne clenched her fist and muttered an apology before she walked away from the table, grabbed her guitar, and went upstairs.

"...What was that about?" Chase asked.

"Is she OK?" asked Dylan.

I jumped up to go after her, but not before glaring at Kenny.

"Anne, wait!", I called, running after her.

* * *

**Anne's POV**

Once I was out of their sight, I ran through the hallway. I gritted my teeth.

Why?! Why couldn't he just ignore it?!

I ran into a room and slammed the door shut. I leaned against the door and clutched my head. The memory of that night appeared in my mind again...

No, Anne... just don't think about it...

I sat down on the bed and held my guitar in my lap. I stared at it for a moment, then I remembered a song from a show I used to watch.

Humming the tune, I pick up my guitar and began playing it.

* * *

**Tess's POV**

I ran up the stairs, searching for my friend. I looked around in frustration, blowing my hair out of my face.

"Ugh! Where IS she?!" I asked myself.

I was about to give up and head back when I heard the strumming of Anne's guitar, followed by her singing voice. It came from a small room.

_"Cultivate your hunger before you idealize_

_Motivate your anger to make them all realize_

_Climbing the mountain, n__ever coming down_

_Break into the contents, n__ever falling down_

_My knee is still shaking like I was twelve_

_Sneaking out the classroom by the back door_

_A man railed at me twice, though_

_But I didn't care_

_Waiting is wasting for people like me_

_Don't try to live so wise_

_Don't cry cause you're so right_

_Don't dry with fakes or fears_

_Cause you will hate yourself in the end."_

I follow the sound of her voice. The further I walk down the hall, the louder Anne's voice gets. Her voice sounds sad, and slightly tearful... I never heard her like that...

I stop in front of a door and crack it open slightly. I see Anne sitting on a bed strumming her guitar with her eye closed. She has a sad, distant look on her face. I watch from the doorway as she sings the last verse.

_"Don't try... to live so wise..._

_Don't cry... cause you're so right..._

_Don't dry... with fakes or fears_

_Cause you will hate yourself in the end_

_Don't try to live so wise_

_Don't cry cause you're so right_

_Don't dry with fakes or fears_

_Cause you will hate yourself in the end_

_Cause you will hate yourself in the end_

_Cause you will hate yourself in the end_

_Cause you will hate yourself in the end..."_

I decided to speak up. "That's a... really sad song for a bright girl like you."

Anne didn't do anything when I spoke... no reaction.

After a moment, she looked up at me. "Hey Tess..."

"Hey..." I replied as I closed the door. I took a seat next to her on the bed she was sitting on, and all was quiet for a few moments.

Finally, Anne decided to speak again. "Sorry I blew up in Kenny's face..."

I shook my head. "No, Anne... it's not your fault..." I replied as Anne stood up and walked over to a desk.

"T-this bandanna... it hides SO much..." Anne said as she sniffled.

What she did next made me jump slightly.

Anne roared and swept everything off of the desk onto the floor in anger. I sat still, silent. How much sadness was this girl bearing?

She sniffled again as she spun around and yelled at me.

"I've suffered SO MUCH! BECAUSE OF-" She ripped off her bandanna and shoved her bangs away from her eye, much to my surprise, showing me the blood red eye that she kept hidden for who knows how long... "THIS!"

She glared at me. "You... you have NO clue... absolutely NO CLUE what it was like for me... when I went to school... every day, these kids would... bully me! Whenever they got the chance, they'd pick on me! Beat me up, spit on me, call me names..."

I remained silent as Anne started to yell louder.

"Every. Single. Day, the kids would... I had to put up with them my entire life since Preschool! I even told my parents, I begged them to help me! But what did they do?! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Whatever they came up with, they were f**king stupid and weak! They didn't know these kids, I DID! Those pieces of sh** were wrong in every way possbile!"

Anne stopped to punch the wall in anger.

"... I started to cover my eye with my bangs, hoping that it would all stop, but it didn't. It only made it worse. They started calling me "Emo" and "Cyclops"... It got so out of hand one day... I had to go to the hospital because of those lunatics. They beat me up in public, to a bloody pulp! I would've died, but someone called the police, and they got arrested... and I was stuck on my a*s in a hospital bed for two months... That's when I started wearing the bandanna..."

Anne then turned to me, tears in her eyes- Yes, BOTH of her eyes. She tearfully said, "Those people down there... They have NO IDEA what it was like for me! YOU! YOU don't know what it was like FOR ME! YOU-! Y-you..."

I knew she was reaching her peak, so I quickly jumped up and held her in my arms as she started to cry really hard.

"Sshhh..." I whispered, rubbing the girl's back soothingly as she hugged me back tightly. I rocked her back and forth. She sobbed into my chest, letting all of her emotions out; Rage, Hatred, Sadness, Frustration, Desperation...

"It's OK... Just let it out..."

Anne only sobbed harder into my chest.


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own The Walking Dead**

**I do own Anne Marshall**

**Tess Carver belongs to Celebrityfan**

**Chase and Dylan Enheart belong to I heart Lyoko**

* * *

**Tess's POV**

Anne clutched me tightly as I slowly rocked her back and forth.

Poor Anne... what kind of idiots would put her through so much pain?! How could someone hurt such a bright girl?

A few moments later, I pull away from her to look at her. I wiped away a few tears from her face.

"You good?" I asked.

"Y-yeah... I-I think so..." she sniffled.

"Anne, are you OK?"

A red-eyed (No pun intended) Anne and I turned around to see a worried Clementine and Dylan staring at us with confused and sad looks.

Anne looked at me before she tearfully walked over to them and knelt down to Clementine's level.

"Clem... you know why I wear this bandanna?" she asked slowly.

Clementine shook her head, confused. Dylan gave Anne a look of concern as she took a breath.

"Well... when I was younger... kids used to pick on me all the time... because of my eyes..."

"What happened?" Clementine asked.

Anne was silent for a moment before she whispered, "Because of my eye... I nearly died one day... I was stuck in the hospital for two months straight... I was beat up almost every day... enough said."

Dylan clenched his fist as he asked, "Didn't your parents do anything?!"

"..."

Anne suddenly yelled, "I TOLD THEM! I BEGGED THEM TO HELP ME! BUT GUESS WHAT THE F**K THEY DID?! NOTHING!"

She looked down and whispered, "They... didn't do a single thing to help... They thought I was overreacting... They had no idea what kind of pain I was going through every day... "

Clementine suddenly hugged her, silencing her as she held her tightly. Anne broke down again, only this time silently as tears ran their way down her face. Dylan joined the hug. "I'm so sorry, Anne... I shouldn't have left..." he said.

I walked over to them and wrapped my arms around them, bringing us to our knees as Anne quietly sobbed.

A moment later, I looked up and saw that the others were standing at the end of the hallway, watching us with confused looks.

Anne pulled away from Clem, Dylan, and I, free of her tears, but red-eyed and pale.

"I need a minute," she said softly. She picked up her guitar and walked past the group and headed towards... somewhere else.

Sarah looked up at her father. "Dad... why was Anne crying? Is she OK?"

Carlos shook his head. "I don't know, sweetie..."

I stood up and walked towards Kenny, whom was looking guilty as hell.

"You. Me. Talk. NOW." I said as I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down to the lobby before he could even object. Once we were down there, I let go of him and crossed my arms.

"This is about Anne, isn't it?" he asked.

I nodded. He looked down shamefully.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know... Does she... have a scar or is she blind in it or something?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No... it's none of those things... Anne was bullied almost her entire life because of her eyes..." I said. "They're different colors..."

Kenny blinked. "THAT'S it? She was picked on because of her eyes?"

"Yeah... apparently, the neighborhood kids didn't like that and labled her as a freak..." I closed my eyes, remembering the look of sadness in Anne's eyes. "They'd call her names, beat the poor girl up... That yelling you just heard... that was Anne... telling me the pain she experienced..."

I could see that Kenny had a look of sympathy as I continued to explain.

"Anne... she nearly DIED one day because of them..." I paused to take a breath.

"Damn... wait, didn't her parents do anything about it?!" Kenny asked.

I shook my head, clenching my fists as I did. "No... she told me that she begged them to help her, but they didn't do anything. They thought she was overreacting... whatever ideas they came up with were weak... If I ever see them, I'm gonna make them feel the pain..."

I looked up at him. "Kenny... Anne yelled at you because you made her remember what pain she felt when she was younger..."

Kenny looked down. "No one deserves to go through that..." he said.

He ran his hands over his face, muttering "Damn... I feel so f**king bad now... I really shouldn't have asked her."

I looked down, shaking my head. "It's not your fault. But next time... just keep your questions to yourself." I said.

Kenny looked like he was deep in thought before he started to walk away, saying, "I'm gonna go apologize... it wasn't ANY of my f**king business."

I quickly shook my head, grabbing the man's arm. "NO! She needs her space..." I protested. "She-"

I trailed off as I heard the strumming of a guitar.

Anne...

_"I'm tired of being what you want me to be_

_Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface_

_Don't know what you're expecting of me_

_Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes_

_Every step that I take is another mistake to you."_

Kenny and I glanced at each other before we followed the sound of Anne's voice.

_"I've become so numb _

_I can't feel you there_

_I've become so tired_

_So much more aware__..."_

We eventually found her in a room strumming her guitar and singing tearfully. I covered my mouth, tearing up. Anne then stopped singing, covered her eye with one hand, and started to cry. I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

She just needed space...

I tugged on Kenny's arm, signaling that we had to leave. Though he was hesitant, Kenny walked with me back to the lobby.

Poor Anne...

My poor Anne...


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own The Walking Dead or any of it's characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

**Tess Carver belongs to Tess Carver (formerly Celebrityfan)**

**Chase and Dylan Enheart belong to I heart Lyoko**

**A special character is making an appearance. My thanks to Emily Carver for letting me use her!**

**And thanks to OreoAnarchy for drawing Anne!**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

I sat there on the bed, free of my tears, but now my eyes felt so dry...

God... I haven't cried that hard in... years...

I stood up, holding my guitar, and headed towards the door. I left the room and started walking down the hall and down the stairs.

When I reached the last step, I saw Dylan and Chase walk up to me.

"Hey guys..." I greeted.

"Hey..." said Dylan. "Are you... OK?"

"Sort of..." I said.

Dylan scratched the back of his head. "Look, I'm really sorry... Chase and I shouldn't have left... if we haven't, we could have-"

I cut him off. "It's not your fault, guys." I said. "Don't blame yourself for it..."

Dylan sighed and sat down. "We didn't want to leave, but... our parents found jobs in France, and they started packing immediatly..."

"We asked them over and over to just forget about the jobs." said Chase. "But they wouldn't listen and they took them. They took us straight to the airport as soon as everything was packed..."

I looked down. "So that explains why you weren't at the playground that day..."

I remember that day... I was running to the park, eager to meet up with Chase and Dylan. But when I got there... I couldn't find them anywhere...

The bullies resumed picking on me as soon as they saw that they were gone...

Dylan placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I am so sorry, Anne... we had no choice..." he said.

"Dylan, don't blame yourself, please." I said as I found myself staring into his hazel and blue eyes. "It wasn't your fault. Your parents made you leave."

Dylan smiled at me, and I smiled back. We stared at each other for a moment before Chase cleared his throat.

"OK, you two, enough with the goo-goo eyes." he joked. Dylan and I frown, blushing slightly at Chase's comment. Dylan slapped Chase upside the head. "Very funny, Chase." he deadpanned.

As the two begin to bicker, I can't help but smile and roll my eye. Typical...

My gaze then wandered over to the doors, and I saw Clementine and Nick standing outside. I rose an eyebrow. What're they doing out there?

Chase and Dylan must have noticed, because their eyes wandered over to the front doors.

"What the..." Chase muttered as the three of us walked up to the doors and stepped outside. Walter had his back towards us. "Hey Walter, are you OK?" Dylan asked. Walter didn't respond. I turned to Clementine.

"Clem, what happened?" I asked.

Clem was about to answer me, but was cut off by the sound of the wind turbine picking up speed. Damn, that thing's noisy...

Just then, Luke, Kenny, Tess, Sarita, and Carlos come running out.

"Walt, what's going on?" Kenny asked. Once again, the man remained silent. Kenny then looked up at the wind turbine. "This storm's got it spinnin' outta control. That sound's gonna draw walkers. We gotta shut it down now!" he exclaimed.

"Nick, help me carry the guns!" Carlos ordered as he and Nick rushed inside.

A moment later, they came rushing out carrying guns. Nick handed a Glock 17 to Clem, Tess, and I. Chase took a Colt M1911 from Carlos.

"That thing's a damn dinner bell!" Kenny growled as he grabbed a rifle and rushed towards the wind turbine. We quickly followed after him.

Suddenly, there was a large boom. "What the hell was that?" Dylan asked. I turned to the Ski Lodge and noticed that the lights went out.

"Dammit! Transformer must have gone!" Kenny said. "Gotta check it. I could use a hand."

"I'll go with you." said Luke. "I'm going with you." Sarita said as she stepped up.

Kenny shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous. Rest of you, get this thing shut down!" he ordered before he and Luke ran off. Sarita opened the door and we all gathered around the panel, but we could barely see a thing.

"Does anyone know how to do this?" asked Carlos. Sarita shrugged.

"Nope. Sorry." Dylan said with shrug.

I sighed. "Great..."

"I can do it." Clem spoke up. "OK, we'll watch your back." I said with a nod.

"Nick, Chase, scan the trees with me." Carlos said as he, Nick, and Chase stepped away to observe the trees. Clementine stepped up to the turbine and pulled out a lighter and used it as a light, illuminating the panel. She took a key off a hook and placed the key in a red button and pushed it forward.

We then looked up and saw that the turbine had slowed down, and eventually, stopped completely. I grinned.

"Nice one, Clem!" I praised. My grin fell as we observed the area around us.

"Somethin' ain't right..." Nick said softly.

"Yeah..." Tess agreed.

My ears picked up snarls. I whirled around to see lurkers, or 'walkers' as Clem and Kenny call them, staggering out of the bushes not fifty feet away from us.

Aw crap...

I gripped my gun tightly as I held it out in front of me.

"We don't have much ammo on us..." Tess pointed out.

"We gotta get back to the lodge." Nick said. Dylan turned around and gasped. "They're behind us!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a gun. Nick, Tess, Dylan, Carlos, Sarita, Chase, and I begin shooting at the walkers coming near us.

I shot one walker in the head before shooting the next one, hitting it straight in the head. I heard Clementine gasp as she quickly shot a walker in the head before ducking behind a rock.

"ANNE, LOOK OUT!" I heard Tess yell. I turned around and gasped. A walker no less than six feet away was coming towards me! A gunshot rang out and the walker collapsed. Tess had shot it. Oh God, that was close!

I smiled gratefully at her and she smiled back. I then turned on my heel and we split up. We started running towards the lodge, but I screeched to a halt when I saw Clem hiding behind a rock shooting at walkers. She managed to get a few, but I heard the gun click. Shit, she ran out of ammo!

I aimed my gun at one of the two walkers surrouding her and shot one in the head. Carlos took out the other one.

"RUN, CLEM!" I yelled. A walker nearly got Carlos, but he threw it off him, shooting it in the head.

"Keep moving! Get to the lodge!" he exclaimed as we made a run for it.

Adrenaline pumped through my legs as I dashed to the lodge. I turned around and shot at a few walkers, backing away in the process. Suddenly, I hear a 'click'. Oh no...

I'M OUT!

I backed away as a walker stumbled towards me. I reached for my hunting knife, but felt nothing. Shit, it's still inside!

I tripped and fell on my back. I quickly sat up and started scooting away from the walker, but it kept getting closer.

SHITSHITSHIT!

It snarled, baring its teeth as it reached towards me, ready to sink its teeth into my flesh.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out through the air. The walker ceased moving and collapsed at my feet. I scooted further away from it, gasping for breath.

I looked up to see a figure wearing a black denim jacket with a light gray shirt and black converse and navy blue jeans. On her hands were red and black gloves.

"You OK?" the figure asked me. The voice sounded female.

"W-Who are you?" I asked, panting slightly. The red and black haired woman smirked and placed a hand on her hip.

"I'm Emily... the one who just saved your life. Now get moving!" she said as she helped me up. I started running towards the lodge without hesitation. The woman, Emily, follows me. The two of us reach Clementine, who is standing with the others. Clemetine gasps as she sees Emily.

"Emily?!" she asked. Wait, she knows this lady?!

Emily smiled. "Hey Clem." she said as she and Clem shared a quick hug.

"Clem, you know her?!" I asked.

Just then, Tess turned to Emilly and gasped when she saw her.

"E-Emily...?!" Tess gasped as a tear streamed down her face.

"Tess..." Emily said simply before she rushed forward and hugged her tightly. Emily hugged her back with a smile.

Despite the current situation, I stood there with my jaw dropped. Would someone mind telling me what's going on?!

Tess and Emily broke the hug. "Tess, how do you know this girl?!" I asked.

"She's my-"

She was cut off when Carlos suddenly exclaimed "CLEM, GET INSIDE!"

I looked to my right and saw walkers stumbling towards us. Emily and Clem darted inside as Carlos and Walter fired at a walker. Chase, Dylan, and Tess joined in.

Suddenly, I hear rapid fire and the walkers collapse one by one.

What the...

We turn to the forest and see a man with a brown coat walking out of it...

Carver...

No... he's found us! DAMN IT!

There's three people following him carrying AK-47s. Carver has the stupid smirk he always has as he walks up to us. Tess has a look of utter fury as he approaches us.

"Howdy, folks." he says casually. His men then surround us, holding us at gunpoint. I recognized two of them as Troy and Johnny, two guards from the community. One of them looks familiar... red hair... brown vest... wait...

"BONNIE?!" Tess and I exclaimed simultaneously.

How could she?!

Bonnie gave us a look of sadness before looking away. Carver stepped up to Carlos, still having that smirk.

"Where's Rebecca?" he asked calmly. Carlos responded by spitting in his face. Ha, nice one...

Carver wiped away the spit away. "It's nice to see you, too." he said sarcastically before punching him in the face.

"CARLOS!" Tess gasped as Carlos staggered from the blow. Suddenly, Sarah came rushing outside. She darted past Carver and hugged Carlos tightly. "Sarah, get behind us." I said glaring at Carver. Sarah hid behind Carlos as Carver pointed at the lodge.

"Inside." he ordered. Carver's other two henchmen pointed their assault rifles at us, forcing us towards and into the lodge. Bonnie gave an impressed whistle as she glanced around.

"Look at this place..."

I was then forced down on my knees and was placed between Tess and Dylan as our wrists were bound behind our backs.

"Johnny, cover that window." Bonnie told Johnny as he walked over to the window near the fireplace. I turned to Tess.

"Where's Clementine?" I whispered.

"I don't know." she whispered back.

Carver then walked up to us. Tess and I glared at him intensely. He bent down and caressed Tess's cheek.

"I've finally found you, sweetie. Now we can finally-" Carver began, but was cut off by Tess trying to bite his finger. He jerked it away quickly.

"DON'T YOU F**KING TOUCH ME!" she screamed. He ignored her and turned to me with that same stupid smirk, placing his hands on his hips.

"Well, if it isn't the little music girl..."

I let an animal-like growl escape my lips. "Go to hell, you f**king b****d..." I snarled.

Carver stepped away from us and looked around the lodge for a moment before he picked Carlos up and punched him in the stomach.

"DAD!" Sarah exclaimed as her father fell to the ground. Carver stared down at him. "Listen, I'm only gonna ask you once. Where's Rebecca?" Carver asked.

Carlos, groaning, got up to his knees and looked at Sarah. "Sarah, look at me." he said gently. Sarah, though slightly panicked, did. "It's gonna be OK."

Right after he said that, Carver took his hand and bent one of his fingers back, breaking it. I can't help but cringe at the sound.

"Rebecca! Rebecca, our baby deserves to be raised in a place of safety! I know you're out there. And Alvin. And Luke. And the girl. This is real simple. You want this over quick, you all play nice and show your faces."

"Don't hurt my dad! Please!" Sarah cried.

Carver then broke another one of Carlos's fingers, making him scream in pain.

"DAD!" Sarah screamed.

"Sarah, don't look! J-Just don't look!" I told her, trying to calm her down.

"F**k you." Carlos growled at Carver. "Shoot him! Somebody just shoot him!"

Carver grabbed him by the hair and held a knife to his throat.

"NO! F**K YOU, DAD! STOP!" Tess screamed with fury.

"Say goodbye, Carlos." Carver said with a smirk. He then looked up. "You never did listen. Let's see if I can get your attention..."

Carver then started to punch Carlos repeatedly. I gritted my teeth as Tess growled.

"BILL, STOP!"

I looked up and saw that Rebecca had come out of her hiding spot. Carver smiled and threw Carlos to the ground. "Ah, there you are..."

As she and Alvin walked down the stairs, Carver carressed Rebecca's cheek. I wanted to gag at the sight. That sick piece of...

"You alright?"

"F**k you, Bill!" Rebecca spat out as Alvin was forced to his knees.

"Anne..." Dylan whispered. I turned to him. "Yeah?" I asked.

"Can you reach my hands?"

I looked at his bound wrists. "I'll try..." I said as I tried to reach for them. However, Troy turned around at that moment, so I pulled my hands back.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and Johnny fell to the ground with a bullet hole in his head.

"Kenny!" Sarita gasped.

Carver frowned before marching over to Walter and picking him up. He brought him up to the window and shoved him to the ground before shooting him in the head execution style.

I gasped. "NO! WALTER! GOD DAMN IT! NO!"

Chase growled. "YOU SON OF A B**CH, I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared.

Carver hid behind a pillar as he held his pistol. "That's for our man! Now I didn't wanna do this, but you're leavin' me no choice! So here's what's gonna happen; I'm gonna march another one of your friends out here and I'm gonna put a bullet in the back of their head. Or you can give up now. Your choice." he said. Kenny fired at him, but hit the pillar. He then picked up Alvin and smiled. "Hi, Alvin."

"Bill, no!" Rebecca exclaimed as she rushed forward, but was stopped by Troy pointing his assault rifle at her. "Tell them to stop! Kenny, stop!"

"Remember George?" asked Carver as he held the pistol to his head.

Oh no... not Alvin! NO WAY! NOT HIM!

I jumped up and rushed towards them. Carver saw and hit me in the chest with the pistol, knocking the wind out of me.

I cough, falling to my knees. "F-F**k..." I groaned out as I coughed. Carver threw Alvin down and picked me up. Oh sh**…

"Not a smart move, Anne..." he said as he carried me over to the window and held the gun to my temple.

"NO! NOT HER!" I heard Tess scream.

"PUT HER DOWN, YOU F**KER!" Dylan roared angrily.

I shut my eye tightly as I prepared for the bullet...

But it never came. I opened my eye, seeing Kenny, Clem, and Emily at the doors holding their hands up in surrender.

Carver smirked and threw me down. I sighed in relief, but it was short-lived as Troy picked me up and led me back to my spot between Tess and Dylan.

"Anne, are you OK?!" Tess asked me.

I panted slightly. "That... was WAY too close..."

As I looked up, I saw Emily hug- that's right, HUG Carver. And guess what? He hugged her right back!

"Hi Daddy..." she sniffled.

DADDY?!

"What the f**k?!" I exclaimed as I turned to Tess. "You have a sister?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I-I'm sorry, I-" Emily began, but Carver cut her off. "You're forgiven, sweetie..." he said.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!" I demanded as Kenny and Clementine were being tied up. Carver turned to us. "Emily here is my other daughter." he explained. "Where's Luke?"

I blinked. He's right... where IS Luke?

"Finally cut and run, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Carver asked before looking down at Carlos. "I warned ya not to follow him, and look where he's led you."

He then turned to Rebecca. "But you're safe now. We're going home. As a family."

Rebecca glared at him hatefully at these words.

THIS is his idea of a family?!

"Alright, round 'em up. We're heading back to camp."

One by one, they started picking us up and led us outside. They led us down the hill, where I could see a large truck at the bottom of it. We were led to the back. Troy opened the door and pointed his assault rifle at us.

Reluctantly, we climbed inside. I looked over my shoulder, seeing Carver smiling.

"We're on our way."

Then the door closes, leaving us in pitch black darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

**Tess Carver belongs to Tess Carver**

**Chase and Dylan Enheart belong to I heart Lyoko**

**Emily Carver belongs to Emily Carver**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

We all sat in silence as the truck drove down the trail. It hit a bump on the road every once in a while, making us bounce slightly.

By now, my eye has adjusted to the darkness. I can see that Emily is sitting next to Kenny with a guilty look on her face. I can also see that her wrists weren't bound, unlike the rest of us.

I turned to Tess and glared slightly. Why did she keep something like this from me?!

"Tess... why didn't you tell me you had a sister?!"

She didn't answer me. I frowned.

"Tess, I'm your friend. You can tell me..."

She was silent before she said "I didn't tell you I had a sister because I thought she was dead."

I blinked. Oh.

I looked away. "Sorry..."

It was dead silent for a while until the vehicle suddenly jerked to a halt. A few moments later, the door opened. Light quickly filled the back of the truck, blinding me momentarily.

I squint at the bright light, and I see Carver looking at us.

"Those who gotta p**s better go and do it now. Emily, you're gonna ride in the front with us." Carver said. I see Emily cast a sad glance towards us before she, Clem, Sarah, and I step out. I glared at Troy as Sarah headed into the woods.

"Hey, you mind givin' us girls some privacy?" I asked, glaring at him. He glared right back at me and used his rifle to shove me towards the woods. "Just get going. We ain't got all day, girlies." he replied. I frowned. Talk about rude!

I stood next to Clem, who was looking at a tree. I could see that she was staring at a butterfly. I remained silent as I watched her. Man, I haven't seen anything like that in a while...

Clem reached out to touch it, but it flew away. I decided to speak up.

"So, you don't have to go?"

She shook her head. "No. You?"

I smirk slightly. "No. I was getting tired of sitting in there."

She smiled slightly. I turned around and noticed Emily walking towards us. I frowned and crossed my arms as she approached the two of us. "So, how do you know this girl, Clem?"

Clem turned to me before speaking. "Around four months ago... Christa, Emily, and I were attacked by walkers. She got separated from us. We haven't found her since... until now."

I kept my gaze on Emily. "So... why aren't YOU tied up?"

Emily looked away before she spoke. "Dad says that I'm to receive no punishment... that I'm just an innocent civilian that just arrived... he's not gonna punish me... I really want to help you guys. I don't want you or my sister's friends to suffer..."

Just then, Sarah stepped out of the woods. "Thanks for coming with me." she thanked as she turned back to the woods. "It's scary out here."

I smiled lightly as she continued to speak. "I know they made you come with me but... I actually thought they were gonna make Dad come with me. That would've been super awkward." she finished. I can't help but chuckle. Definitely...

Clem smiled at her and said "Yeah. We're friends. Friends always stick together."

Aw...

Then of course, Troy just HAS to ruin the moment.

"You about done over there?!"

I frown as we glance towards him. Emily decided to reply. "Yeah. Now get back to your job."

I snicker at her response, as well as Clem and Sarah. The four of us head towards the truck.

"Everything come out alright, girls?" Troy asked us.

We glared at him. Oh, he did NOT just ask that...

Emily stomped on Troy's foot. "Pervert." she mumbled. Bonnie and Troy then started tying our wrists back up, except for Emily. Carver then pulled out a radio and pushed a button.

"Well, we're on our way, probably thirty minutes out. Make sure everyone's prepped. Emotions might be running high. Carver out." he said as Troy roughly grabbed my wrists and started binding them. "Oh, and if I find out you've been wasting fuel to keep that f**kin' heater going, I'll make you walk back." Carver added.

"Nope. Froze my a*s off... just like you told me too." Troy said.

Carver then noticed Clementine staring at him. He frowned. "It ain't polite to listen to other folks' conversations. Has anyone ever taught you that?"

"I used to have a walkie talkie like that..." Clem brought up.

"Oh, really? What happened to it? Cause you can't have this one."

"It got people I knew hurt..." Clem said. Carver smirked. "Well, if you do what we say, no one will get hurt." he said.

I sneered. F**k you, Carver...

"Get the girls in back with the rest of them. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us." Carver said before turning to Emily. "Emily, you're riding up front with us."

Carver led Emily up front with him as Troy opened the door and pointed a gun at us.

"In."

Reluctantly, we climb back inside with the others.

"Are you guys OK?" Sarita asked as we took our seats. I sat in between Tess and Dylan as Clem sat next to Carlos and Sarah.

Kenny noticed the sad expression Clementine had. "The hell did he do to you?" he asked with concern. "Hey! Did he hurt you?!"

He turned to Troy. "Hey! HEY!"

Troy slammed the door shut, leaving us in darkness once again.

* * *

My eye has re-adjusted to the darkness as the truck started moving again. We all remained silent as we exchanged glances every once in a while. Tess was looking down at her feet, probably thinking about what happened back at the lodge.

Finally, Kenny decided to speak. "Alright, we gotta something. Anyone got anything sharp? Anything?"

We remained silent. Kenny turned to me. "What about you? You have a knife, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't have it right now." I explained. "They took our weapons, remember?"

"We need to get these bindings off! Hey! Clem, help me find something to get these off. Anything sharp that could cut these..." Kenny requested.

"And what good is that gonna do?" Rebecca asked.

Kenny's gaze snapped towards her. "What the hell is wrong with you people? We gotta get outta here!"

"Like what?" Clem asked.

Kenny frowned. "What do you mean, like what? Something sharp. Anything that can help! A f**kin'- I don't know. Anything!" he said. "We're in a f**kin' precarious position here! We gotta do something about it!"

"Settle down, Kenny. They took everything. We have to keep a level head." Carlos said calmly.

"He's right. You don't know Bill like we do." Rebecca agreed.

"Bill? This whole time it's Carver, Carver, Carver, now he's f**king Bill?" Kenny asked. Rebecca closed her eyes.

"Oh, I see what this is. Y'all are just getting a ride home, aren't ya? That's what this is." Kenny snapped.

I growled. That place is not our home! It never was, and it never will be!

"Say that again." Nick growled.

"I'd stay out of this, boy." Kenny warned.

Nick frowned. "Mister, I ain't a boy!" he retorted.

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Oh right... YOU'RE a man."

Tess looked up. "Both of you knock it off! Arguing isn't gonna help any!" she snapped.

"You don't understand. He's different... he's worse." Rebecca said.

"The f**k are you talkin' about?" Kenny asked.

"He wants to punish us."

Clementine chimed in. "What d'you mean worse?"

Kenny nodded. "He's a f**king psychopath now!" he agreed. Carlos glared at him. "You have NO IDEA what you're dealing with!" he snapped.

"Oh, he gave us a pretty good idea back at the lodge!" Chase spoke up. "I don't intend to just sit around and let that happen to the rest of us!" Kenny agreed. "I'm tryin' to help!"

"I'm sure Walter really appreciated your help!" Carlos retorted. Kenny looked down sadly at the mention of his dead friend's name. I shot a glare at Carlos. Kenny was trying to help us! It wasn't his fault!

"That's not fair! You're blaming him for the actions of a madman!" Sarita defended. I frowned and jumped up to my feet, surprising a few of them. "Kenny was trying to help! You can't blame him for that!" I snapped.

"I'm only pointing out, that regardless of intent, there are consequences to rash actions. Something that he seems to be misreading as capitulation." Carlos pointed out.

I rose an eyebrow. I have NO clue what the hell he just said...

"I dunno what the f**k you're saying, but I know it's bullsh**! We have to do something!" Kenny insisted.

"Kenny..." Sarita said.

"You can't reason with him." Rebecca sighed.

Suddenly, the truck jerked again, causing me to lose my balance.

I fell... and landed right in Dylan's lap!

Dylan's eyes widened, as well as mine. We blushed deeply as we stared at each other. I could see some of the group staring at us with surprised looks. Tess was biting her lip, trying not to grin, and Chase was smirking.

I blinked before I quickly got out of his lap and sat down, acting like nothing happened.

Well... THAT was awkward...

Kenny's eyes wandered over to something. "Oh shit. Jackpot!" he exclaimed.

I looked to my right and saw that he was looking at a sharp, jagged part of a broken pipe next to Clem. He stood up, walked over to it, and started using it to cut through the bindings.

"Sit down! You're going to get us all killed!" Carlos warned, but Kenny ignored him. "Y'all don't know what you're talking about. We get cooped up in some kennel like a bunch of dogs, it's over."

"You don't know that." Rebecca said.

"Oh yeah?" Kenny asked. "Well, I've been in this situation before. You ever been a prisoner?"

"We've all been prisoners! Why do you think we've left?" Carlos asked.

"Everyone stop fighting! This isn't gonna get us anywhere!" Clem piped up.

I nodded. "Clem's right, guys."

"Hold on, why is Emily with Carver right now?" Chase asked. "Doesn't she know what kind of guy he is?!"

Tess frowned. "She... doesn't know... she doesn't know that Mom is dead... and he is the reason she died... knowing him, he's probably lying about it right now, saying an accident happened..."

I let a growl escape my lips. "That manipulative son of a b**ch..."

Kenny then cut the ropes off. He smiled. "Alright, now we're talkin'!"

He stood up. Carlos frowned and said "Carver will be on the other side of that door with ten people."

Sarah started whimpering. "There, there, baby... it's OK. Everything's gonna be fine." Rebecca soothingly said.

"It'll be OK, don't worry." I told Sarah.

Carlos then sighed. "At this point, maybe Luke is the only hope we have left."

"If he was gonna do something, he would have done it by now." Kenny argued.

"Who knows what he's dealing with. Anything can happen out there." Rebecca pointed out.

"I'll tell you what happened: he abandoned us."

My eye widened. WHAT?! There's no way Luke would do something like that!

"You don't know that!" Nick snapped. "I know he ain't here." Kenny shot back.

"Luke is not that type of guy!" Tess defended.

"That guy is a flake. I could tell the second I set eyes on him." Kenny growled.

"Kenny, please calm down. Please..." Sarita gently told him.

"Luke will help us." Clem said as she looked up at Kenny. The bearded man frowned. "Oh yeah? When? After that crazy f**k's killed us all?!"

Clementine looked slightly surprised. Kenny had an apologetic look. "Hey look, Clem..." he gently began, but was cut off when the truck suddenly jerked. I looked up at the ceiling.

"We're getting close." I said.

"OK, let's do this."

Tess sighed. "Kenny, they have guns! What exactly are you gonna do?" she asked.

"I'm gonna punch the first sonuvabitch I see. Then I'm gonna take his gun and use it to shoot the NEXT sonuvabitch I see." he stated.

I inwardly scoffed. Some plan THAT is...

"Just sit down!" Carlos sighed.

"Shut up, Doc! This ain't your call!" Kenny snapped. He then looked down at Clem. "Hey, if something happens... just help out, OK? Don't, you know, get yourself hurt or nothin', but any help would be good." He paused for a moment before he gently said "Hey, Clem. Look at me. You trust me, right?"

Clementine nodded. "I trust you."

"Good. It's OK to be scared, but don't worry." he assured her. He then turned around and faced the door as I heard the truck start backing up. "Alright. Everyone re-?"

He's suddenly cut off when the truck jerks to a halt, causing him to slam into the door facefirst before falling down on his back. Ouch...

I cringe as he lands on his back. "Ooh... Timber..." I say halfheartedly.

"KENNY!" Sarita exclaimed as she rushed to his side. "Kenny, are you OK?"

"Is he OK?" Rebecca asked.

"I think so..." Sarita said. "Oh... what hit me?" Kenny groaned. Carlos looked away. "It's probably for the best." he muttered.

I hear Troy grumbling outside. "Goddamn breaks ain't working for sh**!" he growled as he opened up the door, blinding us with the sudden light. I squint, seeing him, Bonnie, and another guard, Tavia, standing there holding assault rifles.

"Alright, up and at 'em." Tavia ordered.

With a sigh, I stand up and we climb out of the truck. Troy sees Kenny's unbound wrists and frowns. "The f**k?! How'd you you get your restraints off?! C'mere."

We're led away from the truck. I then hear Carver's voice come on the PA system as he starts to make a speech.

_"We've got some familiar faces back with us tonight. Now, I understand some of you are confused as to why we'd bring these people back when they left us as they did." _

Tavia scoffed. "I think I've got an idea."

I glared at Tavia for her snide remark.

I look around. Hold on, where's Emily?! She's nowhere in sight... where the hell is she?!

_"Now it might not come all out at once... but time will heal these wounds... so be patient with them until it does... and take solace in knowing that they're here to help us make our home a better place."_

We enter a hall with shelves filled with food. They're some guards standing on top of them glaring down at us.

Nothing's changed since Tess and I left... nothing's changed at all...

I look up, seeing Carver's office. I see him at the microphone looking at us as he speak. Tess glares at him with pure anger.

_"All these feelings you have of anger... betrayal... hate... they're all valid. No one needs to forget what they did... but we do have to find it in our hearts to forgive them."_

Clem's eyes wander over to the shelves stocked with food. "Look at how much food they have..."

"Oh, I hope you're not saying what I think you're saying..." Kenny muttered.

_"As many of you already know, a large herd of lurkers gathers just south of us..."_

"Come on, we need you for something." Troy said to Carlos. "Can't it wait until morning?" Carlos requested. "We're all exhausted."

"Just come the f**k on." Troy ordered. Reluctantly, Carlos followed him. Sarah's eyes widened. "I need him. I need my dad." she said as she stopped walking. Clem and I paused too. "I-I can't... he's... he looks after me."

Troy walks up to us and forces us to keep moving.

"He'll be back." Clem reassured her.

"When?" Sarah questioned.

"I don't know, but he will come back, Sarah." I agreed.

"Thanks, guys..." she said gratefully.

I look away from her and see that we've arrived at the outer part of Howe's Hardware Store, or 'The Yard' as we call it. Basically, anyone who is untrustworthy and needs to earn the camp's trust back is placed out here and they have to work their butts off until they gain the camp's trust. Trust me, it sucks.

_"... And with the added manpower joining us this evening, I have no doubt that we will continue to..."_

Bonnie kneels down and unlocks the door leading to the yard. "Make sure y'all stay away from the fence. Bill can see if you're messing around with it." Bonnie told us gently. I could see her cast a quick sad glance towards Tess and I before looking away.

_"... it's no longer just to survive... it is our obligation to make this community a beacon of hope..."_

Ugh, he just make me wanna gag right here and now...

Bonnie then opens the door up. We all step through it and out into the yard.

_"To provide a light... a bright light. Bright enough to shine in all this darkness. So that is what we'll do."_

Troy, Tavia, and Bonnie start taking our restraints off.

"Y'all best get some rest, cause there ain't gonna be much for you tomorrow. You're gonna be working hard." Troy says with a smirk.

I'm sorely tempted to punch him in the face...

"That's for you two..." Bonnie says to Tess and Rebecca as she points over to a couple of matresses.

"Yeah, it would be. F**kin' Bill. Keeps me out in the cold, but at least I'll be comfortable." Rebecca said sarcastically as she crossed her arms.

"Still thinks I'm his little girl..." Tess spat out.

I then hear a cheerful voice. "Hey, guys."

I look away from the door and gasp. A man with one arm wearing a white fishing vest over a blue shirt was smiling at us. My eye widened. It's...

"REGGIE?!" Tess, Rebecca, and I exclaimed. The three of us hugged him.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... What did they do to you?" Rebecca asked as we pulled away.

"This could have been worse, trust me. I'm lucky to be alive." Reggie said. He then turned to me with a smile.

"How's it going, Raggedy Anne?" he asked me. I cross my arms at the nickname, but smile anyway. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"Too many to count." he chuckled as he patted my head. I chuckled too. Man, I missed this guy!

"It's my fault..." Nick muttered, referring to Reggie's arm.

"No, it's really not. I would tell you if this was. This happened well after you guys left." Reggie said.

Tess nodded. "He got bit on the arm, but they chopped it off." she explained.

I remember that Reggie helped Carlos and the others escaped. I heard that he was going to leave with them, but fell down... he was put out in the yard after that.

"... They got me working outside. Lurker snuck up on me when I was hammering something. Luckily, they took the arm off quick. Saved my life." Reggie explained.

"That's awful... I'm so sorry..." Rebecca said.

"Look, it was my choice to help you guys." Reggie said.

Just then, Tavia stepped through the door. "Alvin, Carver wants you in his office."

"What? Why?" Alvin inquired. Tavia frowned. "Don't make this difficult. It's too late for that."

"No, please-"

"It's OK, Bec." Alvin told Rebecca as he gave her a reassuring smile. "Just get some rest. If he wanted to do somethin' to me, he'd had done it already. I'll be fine."

And with that said, he turns around. "Let's see what he wants."

Just before he and Tavia leave, Tess asked "Wait! Where's Emily?!"

"She's with Bill right now." Tavia said simply before she left with Alvin in tow. Troy then stepped up to Reggie. "Hey! Reggie!" he said.

"Oh... hey, Troy." Reggie greeted.

"Don't go f**king up now. Bill's real close to letting you outta here. You make sure things stay nice and quiet out here, and I'll be sure to let Bill know just how helpful you were."

Reggie nodded. "Yeah, you can count on me. Thanks, Troy."

"Don't mention it." Troy replied with a frown as he and Bonnie left and pulled the door closed. We're all silent as we turn back to Reggie.

"Oh, right. Let me introduce you. We were with them when we got caught." Rebecca said.

Reggie smiled and stepped forward. "Hey, I'm Reggie."

"That's Sarita..."

Sarita smiled. "Hello."

"And that's Kenny..."

Kenny uncrossed his arms. "Heya."

"And that's Chase and his brother Dylan."

"What's up?" Chase greeted.

Reggie turned to Clementine and smiled. "Hello! Who are you?"

Clem was silent for a moment. "This freaks you out." Reggie said, refering to his missing arm. "It's OK. Freaks me out too, sometimes. I'm used to it."

"My name's Clementine." Clem said.

Reggie smiled. "It's very nice to meet you, Clementine." he said as he held his hand out for her to shake, which she did. "Hey, where's Carlos?"

"Carver's got him lookin' at some folks right now." I explained.

"Oh... OK. Good. What about Pete and Marie?"

We all remain silent. I look down and scratch the back of my head. Reggie's smile falls, quickly figuring it out.

"Can you guys save it for the morning?" I hear a sleepy voice ask. We all turn to the direction where the voice came from and see an African American man wearing a gray hoodie with blue jeans sitting up from his 'bed', glaring at us slightly. I can also see he's missing a chunk of his ear. I don't recognize him...

"Some of us gotta be up early." he grumbled.

"Sorry!" Clementine called. "No problem! Sorry about that." Reggie also apologized. The man groaned, laid back down, and put his pillow over his head.

Reggie turned back to us. "OK, that's Mike. He's kind of a d**k when he's tired."

Tess smirks. "Sounds like someone I know." she said, turning to me.

I frown and lightly punched her arm. "Shut up..."

"But... like I said, he saved my life, so... I put up with that shit. Bill put him to work outside the wall with me." Reggie said.

"I'm so sorry..."

"Stop with all the sorry. It was my choice. Besides, he said once you were all caught, he'd let me rejoined the group... so, I'm glad you're here." he says before he smiles. "I'm just joking."

Rebecca smiles. "I know..."

"I mean, he did say that, but I'm not happy about it." Reggie admitted.

"Who's she?" I heard Clementine ask. "Who?" I asked. I followed her gaze and found a girl sitting at a picnic table not too far from our position looking at us. She looked to be in her late teens to early twenties. She has short, cropped brown hair. The girl wore a brown jacket over a green shirt with blue jeans. OK, I definitely don't recognize her.

The girl sees all of us looking at her and stands up. "Oh, yeah. OK, so she's f**kin' weird. They found her sneaking around outside of the camp covered in guts and just, like, the grossest shit." Reggie explained as the girl walked over to a spot near the 'bunk beds' and laid down.

"It's probably best not to stare." Rebecca whispered. I directed my gaze away from her and looked back at Reggie. "I know how it must look, but it's really not that bad here." said Reggie.

"Reggie..." Tess sighed.

"No, I'm serious. Where else are you gonna find food like we have? We've got the canned stuff and now with the greenhouses coming along, we've got fresh food. The building's getting more and more secure all the time..." Reggie paused as he took a step away from us, then turned back around. "... mostly through forced labor, but that's only temporary. They've even got the solar panels working. When was the last time you guys had electricity, huh?"

"Well, we just came from a lodge with a wind turbine and-"

"It's not a competition." Reggie cut Sarah off. "I'm just saying, it's not as bad as you think. We're building something great here, guys. A real community. Bill is making it happen. Look, I've made mistakes, and he's forgiven me."

"That doesn't make up for what he's done, Reggie! Look what he did to my mother!" Tess spoke up.

"Carver killed my friend Walter," Clementine said. Chase frowned. "Yeah, he took him and shot him straight in the head!" he said. I closed my eye sadly. Walter was such a nice guy...

Reggie was clearly surprised by this news. "OK, I-I don't know what happened, but maybe he had his reasons-"

"His reason is that he's a f**king monster!" Tess snapped.

"He's a crazy piece of shit!" Kenny agreed.

Reggie sighed. "Listen, I'm really close to getting let back in the group. Once that happens, I can do a lot more to help you guys be more comfortable."

"Comfortable? What do you think this is?!" Kenny asked as he crossed his arms. "I just don't want you to mess things up for me. I've worked really hard to get to this point. Will you please just try not to cause any trouble? At least until they release me?" Reggie requested. "Then once I'm out, I could help you more. Maybe even help get you out."

"OK, sure." Clem said.

Reggie smiled gratefully. "OK. Thank you. It means a lot."

"She don't speak for all of us." Kenny piped up.

"No, but if she doesn't want to cause any trouble, she doesn't have to." Sarita said to Kenny. "We can at least talk about it more in the morning. Just have a quiet night and chat again tomorrow." Reggie suggested.

Is he seriously saying this?!

"I can't believe what I'm hearing..." Rebecca muttered, voicing my thoughts.

"Look, the fact is, Bill had every reason to kill me when I helped you guys out, but he didn't. Obviously, I don't know what happened while you guys were gone, but he's given me a second chance and I'd know he'd do the same for you."

"He didn't give my mother a second chance! He didn't give her a chance at all!" Tess growled.

"Reggie, I don't want a second chance. I want to leave with my family. That's it." Rebecca said firmly.

"Your family is safer here..."

Safe?! Not with him here!

"It's not safe as long as Carver's around!" I snapped. "He almost put a bullet in my f**king head several hours ago!"

Rebecca suddenly gasped and placed a hand on her stomach. The baby must be kicking hard...

"I need to sit down..."

Sarita stepped up to her. "Yeah, come on. Sarah? Can you go see if there's something for her to drink?" Sarita requested.

"OK." Sarah nodded. "Yeah, there's water over by the benches." Reggie pointed out as we started heading in different directions. As I left, I heard him say "That didn't go as planned... should have actually made a plan..."

I walk over to the bunk beds as Tess and Nick get into one of them together. I walked up to the girl from earlier to try and talk to her, but she lifted her head and glared at me. I smiled nervously and backed away.

Best not talk to her right now...

I then noticed Clementine checking out the bunk beds. "Guess it's better than the ground."

"It's not." Nick suddenly said. Clem then walked over to us. "Hey Clem." Nick greeted as he sat up. "Just thinkin' about Luke. Just... they're no way he's gone. That he'd left. How about it? Cause me, I've known him for damn near twenty years now and I can't buy it. Course I can't say the thought never crossed my mind. Things change. The whole damn world changed."

"Nick..." Tess sighed.

"I think you're right. He'd never leave you guys behind." said Clem.

"Us guys, you mean." Nick corrected, smiling slightly. Clem smiled. "Yeah."

I smiled and patted her on the head. "I'm glad you're with us, Clem."

Nick yawned and laid back down. "Guess I oughta try and get some sleep. You guys should, too. They're gonna ride our a*sses tomorrow for sure."

"OK."

"Night."

Clem walked away. Tess looked up at me. "Anne, are you OK?" she asked.

I sighed. "My guitar... it was back at the lodge..."

"I know..."

I slouched over. "I paid over eighty five bucks for that thing! Eighty five!"

Tess chuckled slightly. "It's OK, Anne... we can find you another one..."

I smiled lightly at Tess's attempt to comfort me. "Thanks, Tess..."

Just then, I hear the door opening. I look over my shoudler and see Carlos step in. His broke fingers are now in a cast. Sarah smiled and jumped to her feet.

"Dad!" she exclaimed happily as she rushed forward and hugged him tightly. Troy scowled. "Alright, go the f**k to sleep!" he snapped as he stepped back to the door. "Troy, where's Alvin?!" Rebecca asked.

"Everybody get to bed!" Troy growled as he slammed the door back down and left.

Dylan glared as he left. "Man, I hate that guy..."

"Ditto..." I muttered. The two of us exchanged a smile as we headed towards places to sleep. I got into a bed below Dylan and next to Kenny and Sarita.

I laid my head down on the pillow and closed my eye. I then let sleep get the best of me and drift off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

I** don't own The Walking Dead or any of it's characters**

**Anne Marshall belongs to me**

**Tess Carver belongs to Tess Carver**

**Chase and Dylan Enheart belong to I heart Lyoko**

**Emily Carver belongs to Emily Carver**

* * *

**Anne's POV**

So... dark...

Mm... what's going on?

"She... sleep... won't... wake her... now..."

That voice... who's voice is that?

Sounds so far away...

I sink deeper into my pillow...

Suddenly, I feel something nudge me, followed by "WAKE THE F**K UP!"

My eye snapped open and I sat up. I sat up a little too quickly, because my forehead hit the bed above me.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL?!" I exclaimed as I rubbed my forehead. I blink, my vision a little hazy. Once it clears up, I see Troy scowling down at me.

"About f**king time. Get up, Bill's gonna have a word."

I glared back at him. I REALLY hate that guy...

Grumbling, I climb out from the bed and get to my feet. I walk over to the others just as Carver, Tavia, and a few other guards step into the yard and face us.

Carver was silent for a moment as he looked a us, then he spoke. "There's been increased walker activity along the fence, so be mindful when outsde the walls. The herd's moved a little closer as of this morning, but that still doesn't necessarily mean we'll be hit."

I rolled my eye as he continued to speak.

"Know that we're monitoring the situation. Now... there are some folks that might be sore about what happened... and how things went..."

Tess and Rebecca glared at Carver hatefully at these words.

"Well, that's all in the past now. Some of you are new to our community. Some of you are members who went astray. But know that you can find redemption here... forgiveness... by proving your worth through what will undoubtedly be hard work."

I sneered. You're one to talk about forgiveness...

"Reggie, you're nearly back in. Keep following the path and we'll welcome you back with open arms," he said to Reggie. "Let Reggie be an example to you all. Salvation is available, but it must be earned... my other daughter, Emily, will be..."

My eye wandered over to Sarah, who was whispering to Clementine.

"I was so tired..." I heard Sarah say.

"Pay attention," Clem whispered.

"OK, yeah. Sounds good. I just thought it was nice to finally-"

I cast her a worried glance. Carver doesn't like it when someone's talking when he is...

"Carlos!" Carver snapped. All of us froze.

"Yes?"

"Your child seems to be in need of correction."

Correction?!

Carlos sighed. "I'm sorry... Sarah, a-apologize to Mr. Carver," Carlos told Sarah. Sarah looked down at her feet. "I... I'm sorry, sir..." she said meekly.

Carver frowned. "No, no... that ain't gonna cut it. I can't have this kind of behavior on your first day of reform. You discipline her now, Carlos," he ordered.

Who the hell does he think he is?! He can't control us!

"No!" Tess exclaimed.

"H-How do you propose that I-"

"One good smack across the mouth should do it. It'll make her think twice before opening it up again," he said as he crossed his arms. "Go on, we'll wait."

"That's taking it too far!" Chase snapped as he stepped forward, but Troy stopped him by pointing his assault rifle at him.

THAT'S IT!

I stepped in front of Sarah, holding my arm out in front of her. "It was me! I was the one talking! Not her!"

Carver shook his head. "Nice try, Anne, but I saw her moving her mouth."

I sneered at him and took a step back.

"I... I'm not sure that with my hand I could-" Carlos said, trying to find a way past this, but Carver cut him off.

"Well, that's why you've got two hands, Carlos. Come on, and not some 'namby-pamby' thing, alright? A good, hard smack! Otherwise, Troy will do it for ya. I don't think you want that. He can be... overzealous. Is that the word?" he asked as he turned to Troy. The man nodded. "If it means that I'll slap the shit out of her, then yeah," he confirmed.

"It was my fault!" Clementine said, coming to Sarah's defense. Troy scowled. "Hey! No one's f**kin' talking to you!" he growled, but Carver held his hand out, silencing him.

"Unless you want what she's about to get, I'd pipe down, missy."

I clenched my fist as Tess growled. "You motherfu-!" she began, but shut up when Troy glared at her. Carlos closed his eyes sadly before turning to Sarah.

"I-I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry..."

"Close your eyes, honey. It's only going to sting for a second," Carlos told her gently. Sarah shut her eyes tightly as we looked on, horrified of what's about to happen.

"DO IT!" Carver ordered.

Reluctantly, Carlos slapped Sarah across the face, sending her hurtling towards the ground.

"Oh my god..." I whispered. Tess covered her mouth in shock. Dylan gasped and clenched fists. Sarah sat there, holding her cheek, whimpering. Carlos was horrified by what he had done. He stepped up to her. "I'm sorry, Sarah-"

"Stop!" Carver snapped. "You're not coddling that girl anymore! Let her sit there and think about what she's done."

I growled as Carver turned to Troy. "Troy, get Carlos to his post. Everyone else should have their assignments. It's time to get to work."

Troy looked down at Sarah. "God damn, you really knocked the shit out of her, Doc!"

Carver looked over his shoulder. "Everyone get to work!"

I looked back down at Sarah and felt sympathy for the poor girl.

I reached out to her, but Tavia suddenly steps in front of Clem and I. "You two are working in the armory. Follow me," she ordered.

She turned around and walked out of the yard. I frowned at her back as Clem and I start to follow her.

"Soil coming up!"

WHOA!

Two large bags of soil suddenly fall and land just inches away from Clem and I. I yelp, jumping back slightly. We look up, seeing the girl from last night standing on the roof looking down at us.

"Oh shit..." she muttered.

"Goddamn this thing!" I heard a man growl.

"Clementine! Anne!" Tavia called. The two of us quickly ran to her and followed her down the hall.

* * *

As we walk down the hall, I see a girl with short dark brown hair wearing a brown long sleeved shirt looking at us.

Oh... it's HER...

"Well, look who's back," she said. I stopped walking and glared at her.

"Nice to see you too, Becca," I greeted sarcastically.

Becca is the sister of Shel, one of the guards here at camp. She can be a pain in the ass at times...

"So, I heard Tess, Carlos, and the others were brought back too," she said.

I frown. "Yeah..."

"And Sarah's back too... I'd wish that baby'd stay gone..." she muttered.

Oh, THAT IS IT!

I grabbed Becca by the front of her shirt. "Don't call her that!" I snarled.

"What? She is!" she retorted.

"Do you know what kind of shit we had to go through the past few months?!"

Becca's eyes widened as I yelled. Just then, I felt Clementine grab my arm.

"Anne, calm down!" she exclaimed. I looked at her for a moment before I reluctantly let go of Becca. Grumbling slightly, I leave her as Clem and I resume following Tavia. We then reached our destination and Tavia opens the door leading into the armory.

"Go on inside. Bonnie's waiting."

We step inside and Tavia closes the door. I see Bonnie sitting by a table. She gestured for us to sit down. We took a seat.

"Hey... I guess you two are starting your day with me. We're loadin' magazines," she explained as she took a magazine and placed a bullet in it. Clementine followed her example.

Bonnie smiled. "That's it, you got it," she said as I took one and started loading it. She then gave us a guilty look. "I... suppose I owe you an apology."

I stopped loading the magazine for a moment and rose an eyebrow. She's apologizing...?

"I wasn't truthful when I came across y'all back at the lodge... and I was shown a kindness I never would've expected from a group of strangers. But... now folks are dead... and I can't help but feel that I'm to blame...but the plan was for no one to get hurt. I truely believe that was the intent. At least it was mine goin' into it..."

She sounded sincere when she said that... she really must mean it...

"It was just a bad situation... that got worse. A lot of people are to blame..." said Clem.

"That's big of you, but... I know what I done... but I wanted you to know that I regret my part in all of this."

I looked at her eyes, and I could tell she meant it.

"I apologize... which don't account for much, but it's all that I can offer right now."

"Bonnie... you really mean that?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes, Anne, I truely mean it. I swear, I regret my part in this..."

She was silent for a moment. "So, how was your first night in the yard? I know it ain't so comfortable, but it's safe... which is more than I can say about a lot of places out there..."

Well, let's see... it was dark, cold...

"You mean my first night in prison..." Clementine muttered.

"Don't think of it that way... think of it as more of a work release," Bonnie suggested.

Clem rose an eyebrow. "Didn't they do those in prisons?"

Bonnie chuckled. "I don't really know. I've never been to prison," she admitted before looking at us. "Don't tell no one. Tryin' to keep a tough reputation."

I found myself smiling a little. You know... she's not that bad...

"I was supposed to go... when Luke and Carlos and all them left. I was planning on leavin' too."

"Really?" I asked as I rose an eyebrow. "Yeah... when Luke approached me about it, I thought he was crazy. I mean, we're safe here. We got power. We got food. And Bill... he wasn't always like this..."

"If you were gonna leave, then why didn't you?" I asked.

She sighed. "If I'm bein' honest... I guess I chickened out. I justified not goin' by tellin' myself that it's easier and change something that's broken than start all over. Take this situation with the herd... that's the type of thing that rips a community apart. Bill keeps things in line... he's got a lot of this stuff figured out. I don't know... I guess I just wanted to be somewhere comfortable for a while."

I frown. "Nobody's safe here with Carver around. Look at what happened to Coleen." I said.

"You're safe if you stay on his good side." said Bonnie.

"I would if I knew where it was..." Clem said.

"I mean, it ain't easy keeping a group this big fed and protected. I don't envy that position. Figure that'd make anyone stressed." Bonnie said. "I'm not defending what he did. That was..." she paused before she sighed. "I'm alive because of him. That's just a fact."

"Sounds like you really respect him." Clem pointed out.

"It's not that. I just have sympathy for the man... even though sometimes it's hard for him to do the same."

Sympathy? For HIM?

Bonnie grabbed another magazine and began loading it. "Luke had ideas about how things should go, but they didn't line up with what Bill was thinking... they butted heads, then Rebecca started showing, and that only made things worse. Maybe Luke was right about him... I wish he was around, but... I just hope that he's safe."

I paused for a moment to think about what she said. "So do I..."

Bonnie nodded. Just then, her radio came on.

_"Hey Bonnie, is Anne and that girl still down there? I need to come and get them." _I heard Tavia's voice say. Bonnie picked up the radio and pressed the button. "Yeah, they're here," she confirmed.

_"OK, I'll be right over."_

Tavia then hung up. Bonnie then stood up. "Oh, I almost forgot! I grabbed these for ya," she said as she walked over to a box and pulled out two jackets. One was a sky blue jacket with a rainbow on the front and the other was a leather vest. She handed them to us.

I smiled. "No way!" I gasped as I slipped the leather jacket on. Clementine put on the rainbow jacket and zipped it up. Bonnie smiled and placed a hand on her hip. "Huh? What do you think? I found those at the lodge y'all were at," she explained.

"It's cool. I like it." Clem said with a smile.

Bonnie smiled. "Well, I'm glad. Thought it was pretty cute."

"Hey Clem, do I look cool in this or what?" I asked with a grin as I gestured to the leather jacket. Clementine smiled lightly. "Yeah." she said with a nod.

"Just give me a pair of sunglasses and I'm ready to go!" I joked.

"Oh, Anne, I also grabbed this for ya." Bonnie told me as she walked over to another table. I watched her and rose an eyebrow as she pulled something out from behind a table and walked back over to us with it. My eye widened at the item she carried. It was...

"MY GUITAR!" I gasped out as Bonnie handed it to me. She smiled. "Yep. I knew how much you liked this thing, so I grabbed it when no one was looking before we left the lodge." the red haired woman explained.

I smile as I sling my guitar over my shoulder. "Thank you, Bonnie. You don't know how much this means to me..."

"Don't mention it." Bonnie told me with a smile before turning to Clem. "You better watch yourself. I think some folks might be jealous of that cool jacket of yours."

Then, of course, Tavia steps in and ruins the moment.

"Oh, there you are. What's with the ugly jacket?"

Well, your jacket ain't exactly pretty, either...

"Tavia!" Bonnie sighs.

"What?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Nevermind. I'll see you two later."

"Yep. See ya, Bon." I said as Clem and I followed Tavia out of the armory.

* * *

We then step through a door that led to the roof.

"Follow me. Come on." Tavia ordered. We followed her over to a greenhouse. My gaze wandered over to the edge of the roof, seeing how high up we were.

I hate heights...

Tavia opens the door to the greenhouse and Clem and I step in.

"Stay in here for a minute. I'm gonna radio down and find what you're doing. Don't touch anything." Tavia said before shutting the door.

I take a look around the greenhouse, amazed by the sight. There's fresh plants everywhere! Some even have edible food!

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I hear whimpering. I look to my left and see Sarah huddled in a corner, whimpering as she rocked back and forth.

Sarah...

I walked over to her and knelt by her side. "Hey, Sarah..." I greeted softly. I can see a red hand imprint on her cheek.

"You... want a hug?" Clem asked. Sarah was silent. "OK... well, I owe you one for later, then. You might not know when it's coming, but I could just sneak up on you when you're not expecting it."

I found myself smiling. Aw, that's cute...

"My Dad's never hit me before..." Sarah finally spoke as she gingerly placed a hand on her cheek. "Even when I was really bad... he never hit me."

I place a hand on her shoulder. "Carlos didn't wanna do it, Sarah. Carver made him."

"He's the bad guy, not your dad." Clem agreed. "So, in a weird way, Carver's the one that hit you... not your dad."

Sarah seemed to think about it for a moment. "I guess so... well, then Carver hit me super hard... cause it still hurts like crazy."

She looked at us. "Thanks... for trying to help."

Clem and I smiled for a brief moment. "I don't know why people have to be so mean. Even when I'm really mad, I still don't wanna hurt anyone..."

Just then, Tavia stepped in with Reggie and Dylan. "Don't mess this up." she told Reggie.

"Yeah, I get it." Reggie said.

"Reggie's in charge here, OK? Listen to him carefully."

"Yep. No problem, Tavia."

Tavia then shut the door. Dylan frowned. "I hate that b**ch..." he muttered. I smirked. Good one...

Suddenly, the door opened back up and Tavia looked at us. "Someone say something?"

"No," all of us surprisingly say at the same time. She seemed to buy it and closed the door.

Reggie then turned to Clem, Sarah, Dylan, and I. "OK, we gotta do a good job, guys. The camp is counting on us. Come on, I'll show you what to do. It's super easy," he said as he leads us over to a table. "Pick up a pair of those shears."

We did, but Sarah hesitated before picking hers up.

"OK, so we're picking these berries, right? Just pick them, put them in the basket. It's pretty simple. While you're at it, if you see any dead branches, take those shears, cut them off, and stack them neatly for composting. You got it?"

"So... we're basically gardening?" Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Reggie nodded. "Something like that."

Dylan sighed. "Oh joy..." he muttered sarcastically. I found myself smiling a little. I ain't exactly a fan of this kind of stuff either...

We walk away from Sarah's table. Reggie looks at Sarah before he looks back at us. "Hey, so... is she gonna be OK? Cause what happened down there... that was straight f**ked up. I don't want her freaking out getting me in trouble."

"We've talked to her, Reggie. I think she's OK." I told him.

He nodded. "Good... good. Cause I'm awful at that stuff. Look, Bill's had it out for me ever since I helped those guys escape, so I gotta concentrate on my work."

He was silent for a moment before he suddenly patted Clem on the head. I looked down at silently snickered at her expression. She's not amused...

"That was awkward... I won't do that again. I'm gonna go work now." Reggie said before he patted me on the head. "See ya, Raggedy Anne."

Dylan and I headed over to a table and started picking the berries. Dylan then smirked. "So... 'Raggedy Anne', huh?"

I sigh. "Reggie says that I looked pretty ragged when I first came to the community, and my name reminded him of the doll, so he started calling me that." I explained. "I've told him over and over again not to call me that... after a while, I decided to just go with it..."

"Well, I think it's pretty cute."

I stiffened. C-Cute?

"R-Really?" I asked as a light blush came to my face. Dylan smiled. "Yeah, I think it suits you."

I look away, blushing. He really thinks that?

I quickly started picking the berries and trimming the dead branches off again. After a while, I look at Clem, and a sudden thought pops into my head.

"Hey, Clem." I called. She looked up from her work and at me. "Yeah?" she asked.

"I just came up with a song. Wanna hear it?"

She rose an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Sure..."

I smirk and start singing as I pick a few berries.

_"I hate Carver so damn much_

_Screw Carver, Screw Carver_

_I hope that Carver dies_

_Screw Carver-ver_

_Hey!"_

Dylan snickers at the lyrics I made up and Clem smiles slightly. "That... doesn't rhyme."

I sigh and slump my shoulders. "I know..."

Clem snickers, but her smile falls as she turns to Sarah, who seems to be having trouble doing her work. Clem looked at her work before she walked over to Sarah's table. "Here, watch me." she told her as she showed an example of trimming the branches. I found myself smiling before I turned back to my work.

* * *

A while later, Dylan and I finish the last of our work. Dylan sighs in relief. "Finally. This was getting so boring."

"You're telling me..."

We turn to Sarah's table, and see that Sarah has finished her work too.

"This isn't that hard, Sarah." Clem said.

"I know, I'm just afraid that I'll make a mistake..."

"It's not the end of the world if you do," Clem assured her. "Just keep going."

Just then, I hear a door closing outside. I look out the window and see Carver coming towards the greenhouse. Oh great...

Reggie turned to Clem's table and his eyes widened. "You didn't do any of your work, Clem!" he said.

"Oh shit..." Dylan whispered as we turned to Clem's table. He was right. None of Clem's work was done!

Carver then stepped inside. "Just checking in... seeing how the new girls and boy are working out."

He notices Clem's unfinished work and frowns. "Reggie..." he began, dangerously calm. "Yeah, Bill?" Reggie asked nervously. "What the f**k happened here?" Carver asked.

"Look, Bill, they're new, and me and my arm, it's just not easy- I have one arm-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut the f**k up," Carver demanded. "You better have an explanation for this. And I mean now."

My eye widened as I watched Reggie frantically try to come up with something to say. Carver then cuts him off. "Sounds like you're about to give me an excuse when I asked for an explanation."

"We'll get it done. Just give us some time-"

"It's my fault. I helped Sarah do her work," Clem told him. Carver shook his head. "Nah, this ain't your fault..."

I tensed as Carver frowned. "We talked about this, Reggie, didn't we? But, you just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what? I... I..."

Carver crossed his arms. "Why don't you go wait outside? Reggie and I have a few things to talk about."

"Reggie-" I began, but he cut me off. "Anne, go. I'll be OK..." Reggie told me. Reluctantly, I stepped out of the greenhouse with Dylan, Sarah, and Clementine. I then noticed Sarah walking over to the edge of the roof, rubbing her arms.

"Sarah...?" I asked slowly as Dylan, Clem, and I slowly approached her. Clem reached out to her. "Are you OK?" she asked.

Suddenly, the greenhouse door slammed open. Reggie stumbled out as Carver stormed towards him, backing him towards the end of the roof.

"I gave you plenty of chances!" Carver snapped.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! PLEASE, BILL! NO! NO! PLEASE!" Reggie pleaded before Carver grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

REGGIE!

"NO!" I exclaimed as Clem, Dylan, and I rushed forward to try and help him, but it was too late.

"REGGIE, NO!" I screamed as Carver threw Reggie off the edge of the building. I heard a sickening splat, and I gasped, knowing what had happen. I slowly looked over the edge, seeing Reggie's body with a pool of blood forming around it.

"Oh God..." Dylan groaned at the sight.

No... no... Not Reggie!

"Weakness... incompetence... it puts us all at risk," Carver said as he crossed his arms. "And it won't be tolerated. You think about that the next time you're asked to do something."

My shock turned to anger as I clenched my fists tightly. I looked back at Sarah, who was looking down at her feet in shock.

"You three get downstairs. Go!" he ordered. I shot him a hateful glare as we headed to the door leading back inside. I looked over my shoulder and saw Carver start talking to Sarah. As the door closed and we took a few steps away from it, I felt the rage boiling inside of me. I gritted my teeth as I turned back to the door. After a moment, I finally let my rage out with two simple words-

**"F*CK YOU!"**


End file.
